


Unpredictable

by BraveSkye



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Female Summoner - Freeform, Gen, Mental Health Issues, Mild Language, and a snarker, discussions, who is a massive troper and gamer, Σ
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-06-10 05:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 46,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15285009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BraveSkye/pseuds/BraveSkye
Summary: The Summoner is unpredictable, to say the least.A story in which the Black Knight gradually gets to know the Summoner in one version of the world of Zenith.





	1. Down the Rabbit Hole or Up?

**Author's Note:**

> For those who either forgot or didn't realize, Zenith is the name of the main setting for Heroes that holds both Askr and Embla at the very least. You can find its name on the Prologue of Book I. The summoner is a girl who calls herself Mike, who can be... a little strange at times.
> 
> NOTE: The snippets before Chapter 7 take place before Book II, before Múspell gets involved, since Black Knight: Sinister General was added two months before that.  
>  _  
> Update (25 Nov 18): I modified some tags and added an archive warning now that I managed to understand the format better. The violence warnings should not be surprising since, well, it's Fire Emblem, but I decided to play it safe in accordance to the Terms and Conditions._

From fighting in the war between Daein and Begnion to suddenly finding himself into a vortex that gave the feeling of a tempest, before facing a manifestation that resembled himself with a desire for nothing but fierce battles, Zelgius became unable to fully process what actually happened.

Now, he is the Order of Heroes in the world of Zenith. It did boggle his mind at first, but after seeing that Ike is also there, along with many other strong Heroes from multiple other worlds (he still has a hard time processing that, despite hearing the theories), he decided in the long run not to think too hard about it.

If anyone who has strength that can rival Gawain is somewhere within the Order, then engaging in battle with him or her would allow him to have the kind of battle he so heavily desired.

Of course, there is the contract that binds him to the Summoner of the Order, but other than fighting the occasional enemy group that appears to attack or engaging in battles against the phantoms within the Training Tower, the Summoner didn't ask much from him.

Normally, tacticians in most armies, or at least most of which Zelgius witnessed, would have the ability to fight, but the Summoner obviously did not have such skill. What she had to make up for her lack of strength, she made up with her sharp mind for tactics.

...and general unpredictability.

One moment Mike would be nothing but professional, in other moments she would be a little goofy, sometimes melancholy, sometimes crazy, and just being downright unusual in general. She would talk to herself when writing out plans, laugh at nothing in particular, until she would drop the goofy act and act normal before acting crazy again.

Then again, Zelgius isn't really sure what exactly is normal for Mike.

When he first came into the Order after being rescued from the Tempest (or so Mike put it), he didn't expect to see Ike or the Greil Mercenaries, and before any of them could attack, Mike quickly smacked them in the heads with the few tomes she had on hand.

“No. No. NO. NO NO NO! I am not having this shit in my vicinity!”

“But-”

“ZIP IT, IKE, OR I'M SENDING YOU PINBRAINS HOME WITHOUT MIST.”

“And leave her alone with the Black Knight?!”

”IF IT WILL GET YOU TO BEHAVE, THEN YES,” Mike turned to Zelgius, narrowed her eyes and glanced to the side, then actually faced him, “By the way, if you want to pick a spar or two with Ike, let me know ahead of time and knock yourself out. But no killing anybody this time, all right? I'd rather not deal with another case of Princess Bride refs. There's also others that can give that dork a run for his money, so feel free to check them out for spars, I'm sure Hector and many others would love to go for a round or two with you.

“So... We Gucchi? Yay? Nay?”

Not quite the first impression he had in mind. What exactly is a case of Princess Bride refs? And what does “gucchi” even mean? It sounds like the word “good”, but...

“Very well.”

“Awesome. Looking forward to working with you and kicking some Embla ass. Again, don't kill anyone here, keep the antagonism to a minimum, and you'll fit right in,” she paused and whipped her head over at the Greil Mercenaries for a moment before turning back to him, “...For the most part, but their loss.”

What in the world had he gotten himself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mike does not tolerate nonsense, Ike. Will she actually send the Greil Mercenaries home if that happens? I wouldn't want to test her patience...


	2. Burgers or Brands?

A few weeks passed, and Zelgius gradually got used to being a part of the Order. Those from the Greil Mercenaries, especially Ike and Mist, were able to keep their desire to fight against him for revenge at bay. Then again, they had to or else Mike would've thrown a tome at them again.

Most of the other Heroes left him alone after their initial encounter, whether through feeling intimidated or some other reason, he isn't really sure. He is fine with this, and actually preferred to keep to himself, anyway.

Of course, the summoner isn't one of them.

Every now and then, she would walk up to him without saying anything, and a few times, Zelgius didn't notice her at first. He later learned from others that Mike has a tendency to sneak up on people and tapping at their shoulders to get their attention.

“Your method for wresting my attention is... perplexing.”

She rose her left brow with her right eye closed, not in a winking manner but more of a serious one. Another tic of Mike's that Zelgius picked up on is that Mike almost never talks unless she gets excited, angry, or feeling snarky. Otherwise, it would be considered almost impossible to even have a normal conversation with her. Some say that if one ever manages to have a normal conversation with the summoner, he or he deserves a medal.

Another day, Mike came to him again with him sitting against a tree in the shade after a battle with some of Veronica's forces. He nearly fell in battle due to exhaustion after taking a hit from a mage for another comrade, which is quite an achievement for the Embla forces to even be able to do that with the armor's blessing. Maybe it's not as effective here? Regardless, Mike did her usual way of checking up on those who fight, from looking them over by standing on one shot and swaying her body to have her at every possible angle to tapping on armor pieces to see if they'll still hold.

She tapped on his armor and heard the sound that seemed to satisfy her curiosity.

“Interesting man you are,” she commented once she finished.

Zelgius chuffed, “Hmph. Curious as to who I am? You're better off not knowing, or perhaps even asking.”

“Nah, not really,” she replied with a shrug.

...Okay, he has to admit he didn't expect that. What is even more unexpected is that Mike never raised a fuss about who he is or even tried to remove his helmet. Sure, at least Saizo tried to to see whose face lies under the helm, but Mike put a stop to that by throwing yet another tome. From what he learned, there have not been any signs of a Branded, let alone a Laguz. Sure, there are the manaketes, such as Ninian and Tiki, but in their world, they're not officially classified as Laguz, so it's possible they do not count.

After all, Ninian has a son from a human father, and her son isn't a Branded at all.

“You're the Black Knight, sure. But seriously, just calling you that basically makes you more of a thing than a person, and I DO NOT LIKE THAT,” she closed one eye at him again, “Seriously, you are another person underneath that helmet, you eat, you breathe, you sleep, you talk, you feel. Boom, person. Anyone who says otherwise can go eff themselves. Sorry, KB. And yes, I used initials of your title.”

Did she just give him a nickname? He stared at her with a perplexed look on his face, which is thankfully hidden beneath his helmet. Still, the fact that someone like her actually acknowledged him as a person aleady... Then again, she'd probably reject him if she ever found out what he actually is.

“...Wouldn't 'BK' make more sense?” He asked with a raised brow.

“Yeah, but every time I hear 'BK', it makes me think of burgers, and I do not like burgers. You are not a burger, let alone a burger knight, and heaven help me if someone decides to be an _ass_ and call you a burger _king_. Bah. Way too greasy. Nope.”

Once again, none of her logic made sense to him. If anything, the only thing he learned about Mike is that she does not like burgers... whatever that was. From the context, it sounded like a food. If he is correct in that assumption, then he probably wouldn't want to be associated with it.

“Too bad the fandom thinks, otherwise,” Mike suddenly declared with a slightly exaggerated thinking pose while tapping her forehead with a finger.

“The... what...?”

“Trust me, KB. you're better off not knowing. I'd rather not break any more walls. Just be happy I'm not thirsty.”

As Mike walked off, Zelgius spent what is probably the next two hours trying to figure out what exactly she meant by those last two sentences before giving up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to use Ninian as the mother of Roy in this instance since it's the closest to a "Beorc/Laguz" pairing Fire Emblem Heroes has as of this writing. Sure, I could've used Tiki or Corrin, but Ninian seemed to be the better choice since she's the only one among the three who will actually have a child in the game's story as a possible ending.
> 
> And I wanted to poke fun at the whole Black Knight/Burger King meme. I don't know about you, KB kind of rolls off the tongue better, but that's just me.
> 
> For the record, Mike does not have a romantic attraction to the Black Knight whatsoever. However, she does care about him as a friend, or as much as she can comprehend. I wonder how many walls she broke this time.


	3. Commanders or Peanuts?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you're in a different period of time, and thus lacking whatever tools you're used to using, you need to improvise.

Fighting here isn't so bad.

Many of the Heroes in the Order had heard about the Black Knight and his undeniable skill with the sword. Some of the younger Heroes that wielded swords, cautious as they come, would even approach him requesting for a spar to test their skill. Some of these Heroes are even legends in his world, whether they lived long ago or were stories that have sources constantly debated. Zelgius had to question, didn't they know who he actually is? What he actually is? What he actually did and had done?

Then there is the Summoner, herself. Strange as her behavior may be, Mike is definitely one of the most interesting leaders he had ever seen. His first impression of her was mixed at first, where she didn't exactly present herself in a consistent fashion, but later on, he started to see her for who she is. Or at least he, hoped he did.

Like with Zelgius, Mike would say her strange words around Prince Alfonse as usual when explaining her tactics, and the Askran prince would nod in acknowledgment even though he might not fully understand it. Prince Alfonse once explained to him that once he hangs around with her enough, it's not too difficult to at least get the general gist. Sharena has a similar answer to her brother's.

Mike would draft plans for the next mission while mumbling to herself with Prince Alfonse beside her. From what Zelgius gathered, the two of them did get along fairly well, and the two made a good team as the leaders for the Order with Anna being their acting commander. However, with the way the Order is held, it seemed more like Mike is the leader instead.

_“Anna's the real leader, I just do the tactics.”_

_“Are you sure about that?” He had to ask her._

_“Trust me, KB. Chances are, if I ever come across a stuffy little prick of a noble going around spouting stuff about how people like you and me need to 'learn our place' and jazz, I'd probably just go 'Well, how about you wear our shoes for a week?' and then have Henry and Tharja do those control hexes I've been hearing about. Buuuuuut... That's voodoo stuff, so that might not be a good idea and I would have people questioning my sense of leadership of being a tactician even though my only so called experience before all this Order of Heroes stuff is playing turn-based strategy games. So, in short, not worth the hassle to have me as a commander.”_

_“So what you're saying is that you're impulsive.”_

_“Eh. Probably. Or maybe I'm too crazy. Either way, I'm not suited as a commander.”_

On other occasions, Mike would busy herself with various other tasks. She would help fold the laundry after Mist and Titania wash it. She kept count of the inventory full of supplies and funds with Anna, Cordelia, and Subaki. She helped with the cooking with Peri, Cherche, and Est, and may have gotten a little too into it, since she would use unlikely combinations in food. Who in their right mind would mix chocolate with tomatoes or with... what in the world is peanut butter?

“Wait. No. KB. You don't know what peanut butter is?”

“No,” he answered, which made Mike react with an incredulous look and shrug.

“You've got to be kidding me. Hey, Peri! Cherche! Have any of you had peanut butter?”

“What is that?”

Mike stared at the handful of people with her hands still up in the shrug. She closed her mouth into a thin line and narrowed her eyes. Then her head roughly twitched for a second, then twitched more erratically before stopping. Then she slumped her arms to her sides and started giggling manically.

“M-Mike...?”

She grabbed Zelgius by his wrist with a fanatical grin.

“Get a hammer, and grab Merric.”

And thus started the incident in the kitchens where Mike used a hammer from the weapon storage to smash roasted peanuts into crumbs while laughing like a maniac and having a somewhat perturbed Merric use his wind magic to have a knife spin wildly in a pot to blend the crumbs into a slurry. Nearly a quarter of the Order that heard the laughter thought that the Order was under attack at first, then they saw Mike grinning from ear to ear and eating a spoonful of the peanut mixture while sharing it with the ones already with her.

“Hey, guys! You up for a taste of awesome?”

Which then started another incident of Commander Anna wanting to sell the peanut butter for a profit since it's completely unheard of in Zenith and that the Order's funds are running low enough as it is, then Mike dropped her happy attitude and held up her finger in a gesture the commander is all too familiar with.

“Let's talk business, then,” she grabbed a piece of paper nearby and started writing on it, “Seeing that you wish to sell something that I, the Summoner Mike, have made, for a profit, it is only reasonable that I demand a fair share of those profits after we agree to the terms and conditions that I lay out for you to sign with Alfonse, Sharena, and KB as witnesses.”

“...Huh?”

“If you wish for me to make more of it, you may pay me to do some more batches that are more or less similar to it once I make some experiments to make sure everything is up to optimal taste. I trust you'll find my rates reasonable, I even went above and beyond to even give you a little discount since you're my friend.”

Zelgius watched Mike hand over the paper to Anna, who then quickly scanned it, and drew a sharp breath in shock. He managed to get a quick glance at it, and the prices did look a little expensive, but it did say about the labor cost of smashing peanuts. If he remembered correctly, Commander Anna is known to hold on to as much money as possible, almost never giving up any coin unless absolutely necessary.

“C-Can't I offer something else?”

“Try me.”

“Uh... I'll...” Commander Anna looked around frantically – to Mike's amusement – before grabbing Alfonse and shoving him over to Mike, “He's yours!”

“NO HUMAN TRAFFICKING!”

Zelgius had to shake his head at Commander Anna's attempt at selling Prince Alfonse out like that, but Mike shot that down. After a few minutes, Anna finally agreed to a contract that allowed Mike to obtain a decent profit while allowing the Order to regain some funds.

“If I may ask, Mike,” Prince Alfonse turned to Mike after everyone else dispersed except for Sharena and Zelgius, “What do you plan to do with the money you earn through that?”

“Probably hoard it for a while, wait for it to add up over time, and then buy something either ridiculously expensive and never use it or on some random snacks I'll probably only partially eat and then toss out because the taste sucks, and then about two weeks later it becomes a Chekov's Gun.”

“Chekov...?” Sharena questioned, confused.

“Or I'll probably just follow Occam's razor and say that I want to be able to buy my own stuff for once without having to give Anna an IOU again.”

Alfonse sighed, “That one... does makes more sense.”

Later that evening, when everyone else turned in to their rooms, Zelgius had to admit, the peanut butter, while obviously needing some work, did taste pretty good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's said that peanut butter was first made around 1895, which is the late 19th century, and since Fire Emblem feels that it takes place in eras that are a few centuries before that (like around the 17th century or so), it would make sense that peanut butter is a foreign concept to the Fire Emblem characters. So far out in the "past" means Mike has no access to the usual kitchen tools, so she had to make do with MAGIC for mundane utility.
> 
> Sometimes I feel I'm just writing things what Zelgius is witnessing instead of him actually talking to her. Maybe that's what this is, bits of him witnessing things Mike does when they're not out on missions. A general who's "lived a long life and experienced much, but never met someone as unpredictable as Mike." ...That's actually how this story got its name, because if you look at Zelgius: Jet-Black General's voiced quotes, he'll say this almost word for word.
> 
> My response? "Is that bad thing?"


	4. Science is not Normal?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you're so far back in time in a sense, you try to remake some of the technology you grew up with.

Mike seemed to be in a happier mode ever since she made her peanut butter business a success (and actually having access to one of her favorite foods again). True to her word, she did hoard most of her funds, but she will still use the money to purchase things when needed, or if there was something she wanted. Anna still grumbled at having to give Mike royalties for it, but Alfonse and Sharena saw to it that Mike wouldn't get cheated out of any funds owed to her.

Inwardly, as much as she felt that she would have to throw a tome at the commander to get the point of royalty fees across, Mike did appreciate their efforts. She still considers Anna a friend, but Alfonse and Sharena take the spot above her any day.

Back on track, having peanut butter meant Mike could make her favorite peanut butter and banana sandwiches. It is a shame that she wouldn't be able to add bacon to the taste as often as she'd like for an extra kick in the taste, but she decided to just be happy with what she has for now. Ever since she had been summoned into this strange new world, she lost access to her usual favorite food and snacks, and hated that most of the food here in the order were just simple dishes that didn't quite suit her palate.

Who on earth would make squash sandwiches?! Those vegetables will always disgust her. As much as Mike understands that there are people are there that do like squash, she wishes she didn't have such a repulsive opinion of its taste, because unlike at home, she couldn't really afford to be picky on food here in Askr. She was able to develop a taste for pumpkin and zucchini, but squash will always be the most hated vegetable on her list, especially since the damn thing always seems to make her vomit if she ever puts on in her mouth. Irritated, Mike shoves the last bite of the peanut butter and banana sandwich into her mouth and washes it down with a drink of her orange juice.

Speaking of drinks, while water is fairly accessible in the Order, Mike isn't exactly willing to drink out of it after she saw some dirt in it. Mike is pretty sure she scared some people in the Order when she loudly declared that she will “purge the evil that is dirt” out of the water, and walked off like nothing happened. She isn't sure why, but Abel had a decent amount of charcoal on him. Probably from his shop keeping background or something. Did that guy ever sell charcoal? Mike eventually decided to not bother figuring that out.

Gathering the gravel and sand from the beaches in the Outrealms was also fairly easy, if not for the fact that Veronica would be crazy enough to force contracts on people to make them fight her Order while in their swimsuits. Mike had to wonder if Veronica even knew that without armor, those beach goer guys didn't stand much of a chance.

“What are you doing, Mike?”

Oh, it's the Black Knight again. He's fun to talk to. She isn't sure why, but the Black Knight kind of sort of appointed himself as her personal guard. Everyone else usually said some spiel about why they feel a need to protect her, but Mike didn't seem to keen for it, even though she did appreciate the fact that they care about her somewhat. Okay, maybe not everyone, but that's what she picked up from their conversations. The Black Knight, however, is usually straightforward with his words, although Mike had to tell him to call her by her name and not her title as “Summoner” as some like Alfonse would.

Eh... Better answer his question before the thinking takes too long.

“I'm making a water purification system, KB,” she took a glass bottle with the bottom cut off and set it upside down against a stand she made earlier.

“Purification...?” Looks like a system like this didn't exist in the knight's home world, but if she remembered right, water treatments have been a thing since the BC years. So maybe it does exist over there, but he didn't know about it. Or maybe it doesn't exist, even though _QUIT RAMBLING MIKE JUST EXPLAIN IT_.

“Basically, it's water treatment. It allows me to filter out the dirty stuff in the water so it can become safe to drink,” she pulled out the cotton wool and stuffed it into the bottle through the bottom so it was close to the bottle's top from the inside, “A prototype since it's my first time making them with these materials, but hopefully I'll make it a success.”

“I didn't know it was possible to do it like that.”

So he didn't know. Wait... “Was there a different method in your world?”

“Yes, I remember my master using his magic every once in a while to cleanse any river water we had to consume. I believe that's the standard in the Begnion Army, as well.”

“Of course,” Mike rolled her eyes in slight exasperation, “Why should I surprised at this point? If I had to guess, magic is used so extensively that you guys don't even try to see how to do it _without_ magic. I mean, what happens if magic all of a sudden disappears? Then you'd be screwed out of nice, clean water among other things, or like how to build a fire without _flint_.”

The Black Knight took a moment to reply, “I suppose I cannot argue with that.”

As difficult as it is to read the knight's cues, Mike is able to pick up some tics and habits. For example, whenever Mike rambles on one of her explanations, the Black Knight would take a moment to respond, probably to process all the information. Another habit she noticed is that he holds his sword in front of him in his usual stance, he would place his left hand on the hilt's tip with his right hand over it, yet he's right handed. Then again, for a man as proficient in the sword as him, it wouldn't surprise her if he knew how to use a sword with his left hand.

“Does your world not have magic?” He asked.

“Hm? Well, if you mean magic in the sense of the spells from tomes and the healing from the staff users, then no, they don't.”

“Really.”

“Really,” Mike sighed as she started adding in the gravel and sand mix, placed charcoal in the middle, added more gravel and sand, then finally stuffed more cotton wool and stuffed it at the top of the dirt pile, “Well, I guess that isn't entirely accurate. Electricity exists, but it doesn't come from a spell incantation. Instead it comes from either the lighting bolts that are from thunderstorms, or things like static electricity if you rub two specific materials together.”

“Static electricity?” He certainly asks a lot of questions. Did he not receive any other education besides basic reading, writing, and swordplay? He probably doesn't know a lot about science...

Mike grabbed a cup and scooped up some of the well water she hoped to filter, “Well, have you ever had moments where when you touch something, you hear a tiny pop and you feel something on your fingers? Dull or sharp pain?”

“I have.”

Mike went on to explain the concept of static electricity to him as she moved to pour the water into her makeshift filter. Even though she is pretty sure that the Black Knight would've been annoyed by now, he still listened, only stopping her to clarify something. Whenever she tried to explain things to others in her homeland, usually down to the minute detail, people would get impatient with her, and tell her to get to the point, which would then diminish her desire at wanting to explain. Just because she couldn't explain it in one sentence doesn't mean she couldn't explain at all. If anything, she needed to hear nearly every detail to make sure she learned everything properly when she was in school.

Sometimes she has to curse this Asperger syndrome of hers, or whatever those psychologists say she has.

Mike is no fool. She is clearly aware that she isn't considered “normal” in her homeland, and it is something she used to think as something to be ashamed of for the longest time. Part of her still feels bad about it, but many years of her gradually learning and growing helped her overcome most of her issues. She still has a hard time picking up on most social cues, but she is gradually understanding it enough to where social anxiety doesn't conquer her mind as much anymore. While some of the other Heroes are a little thrown off about her behavior at times, they came to accept her for who she is.

They're doing all they can to protect her at the very least, which did touch her heart a little. It did spark a desire for her to want to protect them, too. While it did hurt that she cannot fight due to her lack of combat experience and her weakened right leg, she did find one way to protect them. Even if it was only from-

“Fascinating.”

The Black Knight's voice caused Mike to snap out of her internal thought and saw that the water finished going through her makeshift filter.

“Huh, that worked better than I thought,” she took the water she filtered and took a close look at it. Not as clear as she'd like, but it's still a good first attempt, “I'll try again and see how it goes and then boil it to clean out the last of the impurities. I wonder if Felicia won't mind me asking for her help since the only one with ice powers.”

The Black Knight didn't respond, which is fine with Mike. She guessed he probably figured out what plan she had with the water in mind. It'll take a while to perfect this water filter since this is the first time she's doing this classic method outside of camping and without her usual tools and materials on hand, but she hopes it'll do.

Now she just has to see that Anna doesn't try to capitalize on her so-called inventions again. Can't exactly go off giving radios to the Romans, after all. Unless this method already exists. Or maybe it doesn't, since peanut butter definitely did not.

She decided to stop rambling in her mind and went back to work, with the Black Knight watching her as usual.

 

\- - - - - - -

 

...Mike hated leaving her life behind, even though it was done against her will, and she has no choice. She hated the fact that the Heroes here only obey her due to the contract, which she never wanted between them in the first place.

“Mike?”

She looked up at the Black Knight, showing no signs of distress, yet he seems to pick up on it.

“Are you not well?”

Moving her eyes to glance at her makeshift filter in thought, she shook her head.

“Don't worry. I'm fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOPS NO FUNNY.
> 
> It actually wouldn't surprise me if Zelgius didn't receive much, if any, academic education outside of basic reading, writing, and combat. Being a Branded probably would've prevented him from being able to go to school. _If_ schools were a thing in Path of Radiance or Radiant Dawn. That doesn't mean he isn't smart, but had to learn other things through other means, instead. So if anything, he's more of a street-smart kind of guy compared to Mike's book-smart.
> 
> And yes, Mike has Asperger Syndrome, or at least she has a mild case of it. She's actually modeled after a real person who has it, and her mannerisms are actually fairly similar to Mike's. Always researching random things, from survival techniques to basic cooking without using power, to even studying psychology books to learn social cues. I actually got most of Mike's habits by looking at the notes that her model left for me. Normally, it would take a long while for someone with Asperger's to adapt to a new setting, but Mike seems to adjust fine in the Order for the most part... or maybe she feels she has to or else she'll-
> 
> Well, let's not get too carried away.
> 
> Side note: Fjorm's not in the Order yet, so I had to use Felicia for her ice power, instead.


	5. Counting or Scribbles?

_Ahahahahaaa... Eheheheheee. Hehahaha...!_

_Tomorrow is another day~_

_A smirk of insanity creeped before opening into an unnerving smile._

_Shall we let the game continue, darling~?_

_The uncontrollable impulse is coming again..._

_\- - - - - - -_

Even though it had only been a few months, Mike continued to surprise Zelgius, and by extension, the Order of Heroes, everyday.

Zelgius watched her perfect the water filtration device until there were no more impurities. It still required magic most of the time when on the battlefield when it came to boiling it down to save time, but it did provide an alternative for the teams that didn't have the means to do so. The number of those afflicted with waterborne sicknesses came down, and morale is boosted once again, especially since Mike herself seemed much happier now that she's able to drink the one liquid that she regularly consumes in her home world without getting sick.

Yet...

More and more Heroes are gradually being added to their numbers, and while everyone is happy that more help is around to take on Embla, Zelgius couldn't help but notice that something felt off: Mike seemed more tired than usual. Granted, he made sure that Mike didn't push herself too hard, as did many others in the Order, but the one thing that did concern him, Prince Alfonse, and Princess Sharena about whether Mike is getting enough sleep.

_“Oh, you noticed?” she yawned while responding to Prince Alfonse's concern, “Yeah, it has been a little more difficult to sleep as of late.”_

_“It's not because of some of our more... morally dubious Heroes, right?”_

_“Eh... You can say that, but that's not exactly correct, either,” she yawned again, “Fortunately, the contract between them and myself is the main thing that's keeping them from going too crazy.”_

_“Well, King Michalis is rather arrogant.”_

_“I hope you're joking on that one, Alfonse. If anything, it's_ Valter _you gotta watch out for. Just because the contract stops them from doing their usual quote on quote 'dastardly deeds' and whatnot, it doesn't prevent their personalities from showing through, and I have caught Valter trying to sneak into Eirika's room more than once. I lost count on how many tomes I had to throw at him,” she sighed in irritation, “Hopefully, I'll be able to summon her brother soon. I don't know how much longer I can keep that Moonstone dope from being a dumbass.”_

Despite her fatigue, Mike rarely gave up on doing her part in the order outside of being a tactician, and in the few times she did, none of the other Heroes complained, if not actually encouraging her to do so.

One day, Zelgius watched Mike as usual, this time seeing her count the inventory of the weapons in their stock. Some of the Heroes have either divine weapons or those that are very sturdy, but most of them have weapons that are capable of breaking, which lead to Anna – with some insistence from Mike, Alfonse, and Sharena – buy a steady stock of weaponry for the Order to use. It's cheaper to buy them in bulk, apparently, not that Zelgius would complain.

“You know, you don't have to be here with me while I'm counting, KB,” Mike spoke while writing a tally, “I bet you'll have more fun sparring with Hector or Effie. Maybe Amelia and Seliph? I remember them saying that they want to learn more from you.”

“They can wait another day.”

“If you say so,” She shrugged and moved on to counting the swords, “Okay... I counted eighteen steel swords in good condition, three need replacing so those will go in the training pile, nine Armor Slayers and two Armor Smashers and... Oh, is that a silver sword? There's eight... I need to see if I can hand one over to Olivia, hers looks like it'll break any day now.”

“It already did,” Zelgius said.

She whipped her head in his direction, “What. When.”

“It broke while we were training the new recruits at the tower earlier today,” he explained, “I believe... Hinata? Lent her his sword in the meantime. I was going to tell you once you reached a stopping point.”

“Huh, okay. I'll give her that silver sword so Hinata can get his ruby sword back,” her lips curled in thought as she set the sword in question aside, “I'll see if I can order some more made. And with that, I think I'm done with the steel and silver sword count. Ugh, if I hadn't known any better, I would've thought it was the other way around.”

“Other way?”

“Eh, mainly in my world, it's usually steel that's stronger than silver, not the other way around,” Mike shrugged with a minor grimace, “Then again, it's probably got something to do with the alloy makeup or something via smelting, I think. Y'know, when you combine some metals with another metal to make a stronger metal and whatnot. Titanium still beats both in terms of sturdiness, though. Er, no, wait. They're about as sturdy as steel, just lighter, if my memory serves me right. Crap, there's so many metals I could tell you and they're starting to bleed together in my head.”

In truth, Zelgius is only able to understand some of it. He had heard of the part where certain metals are combined by smelting, but not exactly which materials or what methods were used. Steel, silver, and bronze were among the list, but the list stops there, since he mainly learned how to fight with a sword, not how to make one. He had never heard of titanium, but from the context, it sounded like a metal in her world, and that it sounded very similar to Titania's name. A coincidence, maybe?

The lances needed to be counted next. The way Mike usually counts items is by grabbing them in piles of a certain number and then setting each pile aside from each other. Because the lances are so long, Mike instead took a small rope and bound five together, and set it aside on one end of the barrel they're kept in.

“Thirty steel lances. Not surprising since they're not used as much as the swords are,” Mike wrote it down on her notebook, “Four need replacing for battle, so we'll set those aside as training lances...” she kept counting, “Oh, ten silvers? Neat, none of them have been used yet, so I can give one to Effie to replace her current one once it's close to breaking. She goes through them like tissues. Fourteen heavy lances...”

“You're not counting the axes?” He asked when Mike started to walk away.

“I already did that before you got here, KB,” she answered and set the notebook aside, “Twenty-one steels, two need replacing, so they're being demoted to training weapons, and there's six silvers, all in good condition, and I even counted the five hammers we have. I'll leave the counting of all the iron weapons to Cordelia and Subaki, because I know for a fact that if I feel even once that my count is off, I'm going to want to count the whole damn thing all over again, and last I checked, it's somewhere in the triple digits. I'm not wasting my time on that when we have another mission to handle with Veronica's forces. Again. For like, what, the fifteenth time?”

Zelgius couldn't help but raise a brow in amusement, “Wise move.”

Mike snorted at his reply and didn't comment any further.

Later that week, during an excursion through the world of the Holy War – or Jugdral, as Mike calls it for some reason – to free those forced under Veronica's contract, Zelgius noticed her pacing and mumbling to herself. The action itself isn't an uncommon sight, yet this time, Mike is saying even stranger things while surveying the battlefield. Alfonse decided to join her this time, not taking no for an answer at remaining behind to handle the castle defenses.

_“Right, if I do that, then... No. Too risky. Seliph will fall to that thunder girl Tailtiu's magic. Send Effie? No, too slow, even with her bulk, she'll fall to it. Scrap that plan. Reinhardt? He can work, but he's gotta avoid that Naga tome lady, Deirdre...”_

All of a sudden she crouched on the ground and started drawing lines, circles, and X's all over the place while mumbling. Is she acting the strategies to herself? Now that Zelgius thought about it, he never did see her actually plan strategies without drawing anything beforehand. This is a completely impulsive strategy Mike is drawing.

_“Send Nino? Falls to the swordswoman, Ayra. Corrin can handle her. Have her watch out for Deirdre, Divine Naga effective against dragons, even more so with Corrin's type... Nino to Taitiu? No, Sigurd will defeat her. All defeats on our end are failures for this map. More more more more? Yes, Hector can handle Deidre's magic, but only once, and can fall to Ayra if left open...”_

Despite seeing her in action before, Zelgius couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved this time. He's seen her mumble strategies before, just not in a conversation with herself. Alfonse didn't seem too surprised by her behavior, which isn't surprising, since he spends just as much time with Mike, just when Zelgius isn't with her.

Alfonse tapped her shoulder, “...Mike? Are those the new plans?”

 _“Am here, Abe Slaney!”_ she replied with a hand raised in response, “Please do not disturb for the next forty-two seconds lest we lose or lost our strategy for the hour and and a half or I shall never discover the answer to life, the universe, and everything.”

Ah, there's her nonsensical talking again. While most of her logic didn't make a lot of sense, she is competent as a tactician, and she knows to toss off her nonsensical nature when on the battlefield. ...right?

“Greeting, minions!” Mike suddenly shouted and jumped up, startling those nearby, “I gift thee with TIC TACS.”

Alfonse is the first to respond, “...You mean 'tactics'?”

Mike draped am arm over the Askran Prine's shoulder, “Nah, right now, we're doing Tic Tac Toe on them Holy War Jugdral folks, boi.” she pointed excitedly at the enemy troops, “ALLONS-Y!”

Zelgius let out a somewhat exasperated breath before drawing his sword to move out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mike is back to her usual shenanigans, which may or may not be a good thing.
> 
> By the way, "Am here Abe Slaney" is a reference to Conan Doyle's short story The Adventures of the Dancing Men. For some reason, Mike's model occasionally says this when she enters a building of people she knows. I never understood why, and part of me is afraid to ask...
> 
> Also, little trivia, titanium was said to be discovered in the late 1700's, which is the 18th century. Considering that Fire Emblem is most likely in a time similar to the 17th century, it's highly possible that titanium wasn't a material to use to make swords with, or at least not a very well known one. Ironically, despite the traits of titanium being lightweight and sturdy, it's said to be a terrible material to make a sword with, even as an alloy, since it's said it would be too soft a metal to use. It's also a pain to forge, from what I've heard, so forging a titanium weapon for fighting would make it rather pointless.


	6. Unrefined...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: Finally managed to put the effect I wanted on some text.
> 
> Just a heads up, there is a minor discussion of self-harm, but it does not actually happen. There are also mentions of various mental issues, but again, it's merely discussed. Mike does in fact have issues. Whether or not her issues are meaningless, however, is another thing entirely.
> 
> Well, I did rate it T for a reason... looks like things are about to get-
> 
> Oh, no...

….

_Oh~? It looks like I win again~_

_It didn't move anymore, the red gradually leaking to a stop. Tomorrow is another day._

_Are you ready for another round, darling~?_

_A twitch. Perfect. It wouldn't be fun otherwise. A smirk formed._

_No~? Awwww~ You will have to do better than that, love~ Ahahahaha~... After all..._

 

Ị̵̮̥͎̘͂̿̓́̇̑̏̌͠͝ ̶̧̭̘͈̠͕͚̖̱̭̄̅̂̐̈́̓͘̚͜͝͝͝w̶̧̡͍̄̋ỉ̷͚̞̞̑͘ͅl̵̪͌͐̋̎͝l̶͈͍̼͔̊̎͋̓̾̉̚ ̷̨͉̻͇̪̬̮͙̈́͗̿̿͛̈́̃n̵͎̓̕e̴̞̟͉͈̱̤͈͈̰͙͙͂̂̄̓v̸͔̯̦͓̪͂ę̵̧̩͉̞̂̈͝r̴̡̢̠͕͖̰͚̬̰̓̊̀̚̕ͅ ̷̥̰͉̮̲̀͗̈́̽̍̿̋̀̋̕͝l̶͚͍̙͕̓̍̓̂͜͜ę̸̬͕̦͍̱̣̑̒̓̆t̸͖̞̞̬̘͚͓͚̫̺̐ ̵̢̨͍͉̗̘̥͙̖̄̏̔̆͊͝ͅy̵̭̝͒̚͝ͅõ̶̢͇̱̞̙̬̣̜̳̱̗̎̊͒̏͒̄͗ư̵̢̠͂̍͋͆̈́͆̿̃̀͊ ̴̡̡̡͉̳̼̮͍̩͕̹̆l̴̡̢̦̮̗͍̗̲̬͚̝̀̋e̵̥̖͈͂͊̈̍̇͐̈́a̸͓̩͇̓v̷̳͔̟̲̗̜̟̹̦̜͐̄̋̽͌͌̓͌ę̵͉͖̺͍̌͌̍̑̈́͐̔̋̕!̵̢̈́̋͒̈́͊̾̍̈́̑͂

̴̢͍̦̂̋̈́̈͑̏  
̶͎͉̰͕̈̿͆͗̊̐̉̎̕̕͠ͅͅI̵̧̢̝̺͖̊ ̵͔̳̌́̂͊͋̈́̇w̷̧̙͚̤̩̐̈͌̈́̏̚͜ͅǐ̸̝̝̗̆͑͒͘l̷͎̠̰͇͉̿̓̏̾́̃̅̉͜͝l̶̳̥̙̭̠͇̹͍͌̾̾̓́̕ ̵̛̥̐̽̎͘̚n̶̨̋̍͊̏͠e̴͍̒̄͛͗͘͝ṽ̷̧̮̲̼̗̈́̐̅̚͝͝ë̷̢͇̤̱͕͇́̔͋͊̿̋̽̚͝r̶̫̠̥̔͆̀̈́ ̷̢̻̼̘͈͈̿̓͗̑͝l̸͚͉̣͇̣̟͓̇͒̅̊̂̅̈́̚ḛ̶͓̥̄̍́̈͌̆t̵͙̹̦̊́̍̋̄͌̚͜ ̶̩̭̼̥͚̹͔̀̉͗̔͘͝ͅỳ̵̨̧͕̟̜̺̳̗͒͗̈́̇̽̎̈́ǫ̶̡̼͉̰̫̮̘̮̍͐̃̈́͗̐̒͒̋͘ͅṵ̴̡̨͓̫̲͚͗ ̶͍͔̩͕̟́͐̒ŗ̷̗͚̺͇̩̩̭̘̯͌͐̾͌̈́̓̍̄̇̕ȩ̸̣̖̣̜̫͉͙̝̟͌̂̂̈́̄̍̆͝͝s̵̯̋͐̒͐̕̕ţ̴̧͖̤̼̦̫̙̰͉͆̽!̵̡͔̦̩̠͇̩̣͋͌̉

 

_The screams continued to echo in the darkness._

\- - - - - - -

“Welp, you kicked his ass, KB. I hope you're proud. Those Greil Mercenaries must be really ticked off by now.”

Although it took about four months, Zelgius couldn't help but remember the excitement despite hiding it underneath his helmet, because Ike finally challenged him to a duel earlier. Of course, it wasn't a battle to the death, since Mike wouldn't allow that, but he didn't intend to kill Ike, anyway, so it worked out. Ike still had much to learn, as his loss against Zelgius earlier today proved. It wasn't a battle he is satisfied with, but the challenge was welcoming all the same.

Leaning on the wall, Mike rubbed her chin, “Sometimes I wonder how those guys tolerate me despite the fact that you hang around with me. Or that I hang around you. I know Soren doesn't really care about me that much, or... Wait, why made us start hanging out like this again?”

“I am here to protect you.”

Mike narrowed her eyes at that and blinked, “The frigg?! You said that you only serve one master. I am not your master, so if anything, you should be protecting that person, not me! I'm well aware about the fact that you're contracted to me because I managed to rescue you from the Tempest, so if you want go home, I can send you back. I didn't actually summon you like I did with nearly everyone else, so it's not like you had a fair start. I'm not forcing you to stay, KB. If you want to leave, then just say the word.”

As much as Zelgius understands the concepts of the contract between the two of them, he refused to let that upset her, “I chose to lend you my strength for this war on my own free will, contract or not. My master will be fine until then. Until this war is over and once we part ways, I shall want that. Until then, I intend to learn all that I can until that time comes.”

What followed after that is completely unexpected. Mike actually looked stumped for once.

She rose a finger, “Uh, by 'learning', do you mean that as in sword techniques from those from the other worlds or something else entirely?”

“Mostly that, but everything else I've learned also works. Your... filtration device is something I'll have to keep in mind once this is all over.”

“...Do I get the royalty fees for that?” she smirked, which is the more familiar expression.

“If you managed to walk in my world, then yes.”

“Ha. Sweet,” she pushed herself off the wall she was leaning on and stretched her arms, “Well, I better go check on Ike and see how Mist and Lucius are handling him. If I'm not back in an hour tops, assume something stupid happened and bring your team to the infirmary.”

“Very well.”

\- - - - - - -

“I thought I'd find you here, Ike.”

The young mercenary looked up and saw the summoner standing near him. He had been discharged from the infirmary not too long ago, so if anything the only thing to nurse is his pride while hiding in the weapon storage.

“How are you holding up?” Mike asked with a raised brow, “I know the healers said you're fine, but that's physically. How are you mentally?”

“...I'll better by tomorrow.”

Mike barked a laugh, “HA! You're honest. I like that,” she sat down next to him, staring at the barrels full of lances, “That was a pretty good duel. I think you nearly had him on that low sweep.”

“It was my attempt at a feint,” Ike admitted sheepishly.

“And that's what did you in,” Mike teased him with a smile, “Still, you did great. Keep it up, and eventually you'll be the one owning KB's hide like a imperfect pork chop making a hot dog.”

Hot dog? What is she talking about? Must be an interesting kind of dog with an odd fur pattern. Maybe this is a good time as any to ask her something that has been bugging him, though, “Why do you stand by him?”

Her smile faded, leaving a neutral expression. Neither of them spoke for a moment, which made an uncomfortable silence for Ike. Did her make her upset? Did he ask the wrong question? Is he looking into this too hard? Or did he-

“Who?” Mike looked genuinely confused. Or maybe she's pretending to be. It's hard to tell with her.

“The Black Knight,” he clarified with an annoyed tone, “Why do you even talk to him?”

“...Honestly, I really don't know.”

That threw Ike off on a loop.

Her eyes shifted off into thought, “In fact, I don't know why I even hang out with any of you. Back home, except for immediate family members and a very few close friends – if I can even call them that - and maybe the school councilors, I was essentially hated or shunned upon for being... 'Different.' 'Unusual.'”

Who would hate her? Sure, Mike's behavior is strange almost all the time, which did differentiate her from pretty much every other person he met in his life, and it is unusual, but neither of them warranted a reason to hate her. So why-

“I was called... 'Stupid.' 'Mentally challenged.' 'Slow.' _'Retarded,'_ ” Mike growled the last word, as if saying it is offensive, and picked up a dagger from the weapon bin to inspect, struggling to find the right words, “I didn't understand any of it. I didn't consider myself as any of that. I am me. I am... Mike. I'm not used to people actually trying to talk to me, so usually, I have to be the one to speak first. Yet when I speak, most of who I try to talk to call me... 'annoying.' Over the years, I finally understood. I am different. I am unusual. I cannot feel like the 'usual way.'”

She made a motion with the dagger that suggested she would cut her wrist with it, but flicked it away before Ike could even think about taking it from her.

“I remember those who also have... is _sues_ would participate in a concept called 'self-harm.' I didn't understand it. It hurts you, why would people hurt themselves more when he, she, or they are already hurt enough as it is? Are they numb? Are they trying to punish themselves for something they did or didn't do? Don't they know that blood can be a pain to clean up? Girls like me already bleed enough by the month as it is. What are they trying to prove to themselves?

“Some would smoke, but why? All it does is mess up your body from the inside out and give you a slow death by lung cancer. How does that make them quote on quote 'Cool'? Why would they drink? It tastes bad, and you get a hangover afterward. Why do people do things that hurt themselves to cope? I could never understand. It makes no sense.”

So what did this have to do with standing beside the Black Knight?

“If anything, it's probably meaningless,” Mike chucked the dagger back into its container without a second thought, “I learned. I grew. I tried. Some here in this Order have told me that despite my... quirks, I am one of the most kind people he or she has ever met, and that they wish to protect me.”

“Well, you are,” Ike shrugged, “I've seen you make those strategies before, and you always go above and beyond to see to it that the casualties are down as low as possible, enough to where none of us die.”

Mike gave a dark chuckle, “Oh, Ike, you really don't know me. If anything...” A dark smile bloomed through her lips with a troubled expression and furrowed brow, “I am probably _the cruelest person to ever exist._ I just choose not to be cruel to any of you,” she stood up and shrugged, “All in all, I don't know why I stand around the Black Knight, and the only reason he even approached me is due to his desire to protect me, even though I am not his master. I don't even know why _any_ of you are willing to tolerate me, nothing is holding you back, and if you wish to head home, I shall do so with no complaints.”

As Mike started to walk away, Ike spoke up, “You need us to stop Veronica. I was forced to fight for her, and I didn't want to fight you. You saved us, you summoned us, so it's fair that we return the favor.”

She stopped, her head dipped down slightly with a grunt, before walking away.

\- - - - - - -

Being in the Order for a long time is beginning to get to her, that's for sure. Whenever she feels it's getting out of hand, she would rather be alone for a bit so she can sort out her thoughts. As a result, Mike decided to give the Black Knight a break from guarding her by letting him train with some of the other units. Seliph and Amelia liked to train with him for some reason, so she might as well grant them that.

She went to the library to collect her thoughts for a while. Sure, the life here isn't so bad, but even she's beginning to miss home. She can still access the Internet in a sense from her phone - she has no idea how she still has data, but she won't question it if she can still do stuff like browsing the internet for ideas on how to make better water filters out of primitive materials or making peanut butter and whatnot – but even that isn't always enough to make her feel... better like it used to.

Even her usual ac- _NOPE NOT GOING THERE I AM NOT INTERESTED IN FEELING THAT HELL NO HELL NO NOPE NOPE NOPE NONONONONONONON-_

Mike smacked her head against a bookshelf to stop the pounding in her head. It hurt like hell, of course, but it did distract herself for a time. The pounding was about to come back, but then that was interrupted when a somewhat heavy book fell on her head, which hurt even more. Looking down at the offending book, she read the title.

Huh. It talks about the history of Beorc, Laguz, and Branded.

If she remembered right, those categories are what make up the race of the Black Knight's world. It might make an interesting read, especially since she would often look up various animals or even people with different physical characteristics and see how or why the differences are there in different part of the world. Yet... she never applied the knowledge to her everyday life. To Mike, a person is a person. The colors of the skin, the eyes, and the hair meant nothing to her. How they dressed meant nothing to her. How they speak meant nothing to her. Whether or not one is a human or manakete or whatever meant nothing to her. All she could see whenever she talked to someone is a person that lives and breathes.

Is she what one would call “colorblind”? Or perhaps downright “willfully ignorant”? Or maybe-

_What do I know? No two people are the same. Partaking in racial discrimination of any kind is pointless._

She picked up the book and took it back to her room.

She'll leave the Black Knight alone for another few hours.

….

….

….

….

….

_RUN RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! AHAHAHAHAHAAA~!_

_The games goes on as they run into the darkness..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...are they gone?


	7. ...or Unhinged?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who _are_ they?
> 
> WHY ARE THEY NOT LEAVING.

_Still, this is a surprise. To think that this place became so... distorted._

_You think so~? I honestly think it's an improvement~ Ehe hee~_

_You know as well as I do that this will become even worse at this rate, considering our prey._

_All the more fun, then~! Especially since we have an upgrade now~! Hahahahaha~!_

_There is now only one._

_I wonder... what will happen next in this world~?_

_A mix of a smile curled that radiated sadness or grief, before becoming unhinged._

_Do you have what it takes to win this time~?_

_Another round of screeching begins._

\- - - - - - -

This is not a good day for Mike. She clutched her head. It's so hot...

Her head kept pounding.

...Pounding.

...Pounding.

_...Pounding! Pounding!_

_POUNDING! POUNDING!_

_POU-_

“Mike?”

Drawing a sharp breath in anger, she quickly turned to see the Black Knight. Why is he in her room? Didn't she lock it? Or did Saizo get wise and discover the lock she was using all this time turned out to be a decoy? Or maybe it was that damn pervert Niles. Is he a pervert? She shoved that question out the window because OF FREAKING COURSE HE IS unless he's in love with someone and chances are that will most likely be NEVER while he's here in the Order and-

“Is your headache bothering you?”

Leave it to that armored dark as hell knight to snap her out of her thoughts so effortlessly.

The pounding did stop, though. Somehow. Why, she has no idea. Whatever.

“...Yeah. I'm feeling a little better compared to how I was yesterday,” Mike combed through her dark hair with her fingers, “If it worsens, I'll go see a healer.”

Zelgius didn't believe that Mike will keep her word. Ever since the report showing that Embla soldiers are appearing in the eastern reaches of Askr, Commander Anna ordered for a decent sized team to move out while the Order's castle remained protected.

It didn't help that the flames that were used to destroy a large section of farmland the location was known for, and even Zelgius felt unnerved that such flames were not even extinguishing themselves despite water being poured on them. During that time they came across a woman calling herself Loki that could disguise herself as others, which did make some of the Heroes paranoid that she could disguise themselves as anyone at any time.

_“Not possible,” Mike, with the Black Knight by her side, once addressed the concern to Takumi, who worried that Loki might try to replace someone to infiltrate the order, “She would only be able to disguise herself as someone I haven't summoned. The Briedablik, after it summons someone, gives out a 'mark' of sorts that allows me to tell who is who. So if that skimpy skank were to pull that stunt on any of the Heroes here, I would know immediately.”_

_“But what if she might try to disguise herself as you instead?”_

_“I'm the only one who can use the Briedablik,” Mike shook the divine weapon in question, “She can't, and some of you here such as the Black Knight and Alfonse know me well enough that if Loki slips up even once, they'll notice. In addition, the only one who can even force you to do things via our contracts to each other is me, so if she tried to order you to do something and you're not feeling compelled to do it even against your will, then even those like you will know something's up.”_

_“And if she disguises herself as the Commander or the Prince and Princess?” Zelgius asked her, noticing the flaw._

_“I know those three stooges well enough to tell. Anna will do anything for money, and I mean_ anything,” _she started to count off her reasons with her fingers, “Mention anything about Zacharias to Alfonse and he'll be all angsty in certain ways (not saying this in a mean way, but just go with it), and get Sharena to try talking to any of the Heroes who... don't have similar views, and she'll flip out in disappointment afterward.”_

She definitely thought that out thoroughly enough, Zelgius mused.

After the excursion, Mike found that ice princess grievously injured, who, after recovering a bit, told them about how her home, Nifl, the Kingdom of Ice, had been destroyed by their enemy, Múspell, the Kingdom of Flame, which then started its invasion on Askr after teaming up with Embla. Which then lead to them meeting and battling the Ruler of Flame, Surtr.

Mike's reaction to Surtr is... well...

_“Well, ain't that just peachy,” Mike griped, “As if dealing with Embla alone wasn't enough...”_

_“Leave him to me,” Zelgius answered with vague confidence, “He is no match for me.”_

_“As much as I agree with you on that, your attacks won't work on him. The guy's invincible,” she rotated her hand in a circling motion, “Remember that ward Veronica used? He's got something similar, but unlike her's, this one looks like it sticks. Those flames aren't going out anytime soon.”_

_“So what will we do?”_

_“Unfortunately, we'll need to retreat and regroup,” Mike grunted as Commander Anna gave the order to retreat as predicted, “I know for a fact that the flames have to be made from something, but we won't be able to figure it out like this. We're outta here.”_

Still...

“It would be wise that you see one soon, Mike,” he said, “You are looking more red than usual. If your health worsens, it will reduce morale for everyone.”

“They're already busy tending to that Fjorm girl, she has injuries worse than a mere headache. I'll go see them once she's handled. Maybe I can ask her about this Gunnthrá that talked to me in my... dreeee-eee—aaa---mmsss...”

She clutched her head, mumbling unintelligibly.

That's it.

“I'm taking you to a healer.”

Mike didn't protest, still mumbling.

An unbalanced smirk hidden beneath her hair.

\- - - - - - -

“She has a fever,” Lachesis declared.

Zelgius narrowed his eyes, although no one could see it due to his helm. Prince Alfonse and Commander Anna were also in the med bay, while Princess Sharena was out and about explaining that Mike needed rest.

“It must have been caused by the strong heat from those flames,” Lachesis dipped a cloth into a bucket of water before wringing it out, “I'll try to bring her fever down, but the medicine I gave her will help her sleep most of it off. It should take effect soon.”

“Do you know how long it will take for her to get better?” Anna asked.

“I imagine it will be better in three days or so,” she placed the damp cloth on Mike's forehead as the summoner slept, “Black Knight brought her here quickly enough, so it should-- AUGH!”

Mike's hand reached out and clawed past Lachesis's face. Turning to her, Zelgius saw Mike sitting up and clutching at the healer's hair, her expression looking feral, what with the teeth bared in a snarl. Reacting quickly, Zelgius grabbed Mike's wrist and smacked at her arm, causing the summoner to grunt in pain and release Lachesis, Alfonse and Anna tending to the healer right after.

Mike thrashed about, trying to resist Zelgius's grip, “Why you-”

“MIKE!”

His voice boomed throughout the room, prompting everyone to turn silent. Mike's head shook a few times, blinked a few times, then looked up.

“...Huh? ...I'm awake?” She grabbed at her own hair, “Damn it...”

“What happened, Mike?” Zelgius asked, letting her go.

“Dream,” she laid back down, “I was chasing something. I... can't say what, though. I didn't hurt anyone did I? If I did, I apologize.”

“Apology accepted,” Lachesis combed her hair with her fingers, “I'll give you space this time, so you should go back to sleep. I shall ask Stahl to help me make a concoction to keep your dreams from returning.”

Instead of replying, a strange slight smile creeped on her face, her eyes gazing at nothing in particular. The fever must be worse than Zelgius originally thought, but there is one thing that bothered him: Mike had grabbed at Lachesis like she was going in for the kill. She did mention that in her dream, she was chasing something.

...What, and why?

\- - - - - - -

Three days later, Mike is back to her usual (unusual?) self. Zelgius watched her from a distance. Even though her fever is gone, she still has the occasional dream in the few instances he found her sleeping.

Mike checked in the Nifl princess, whose name turned out to be Fjorm, and spent most of the day trying to know her. With Fjorm explaining what Múspell is, and because of the forces the Kingdom of Flame has after it teamed up with Embla, Mike finally went into her stash of orbs and started summoning for the first time in a few months. What became worrisome, however, is that as more individual Heroes are added into the Order, the summoning that Mike does through the Briedablik is beginning to fail.

“Fail” might not be the right word to use. In the few times that Zelgius saw Mike using the Briedablik, a Hero doesn't always emerge, much to the summoner's annoyance. However, he did see her looking contemplative from some of the failures, other times she would have an exasperated reaction from a select few other failures of summoning. Ever since then, Mike would summon at least once every few weeks, after finding that it doesn't deplete her orb stash as much if she did it like that. Most of them still failed to bring in new Heroes, but she seemed satisfied most of the time.

“Why are they not appearing?” Zelgius asked her once she walked out of the summoning chambers.

“Well...” Mike looked up at him with a grimace, “This is off the record, but it's _because_ we have so many different Heroes already.”

“Are the barracks at full capacity?”

“No, it's not that,” she shook her head, “The thing is, most of my summons are usually repeats, and apparently, there cannot be more than one unique soul at a time. In other words, there can't be more than one person here. We can't exactly have sixteen Lissas walking around, you know?”

Is that what's going on? She's running out of unique Heroes to summon? But then... “What about Lady Caeda? There are two of her here.”

“That is true, but from I'm seeing, the Breidablik has given the two of them different... _'titles'_ so to speak. For example, the Caeda who rides a pegasus in her usual outfit has the title of _'Talys's Heart,'_ while the one dressed as a bride is, well, _'Talys's Bride.'_ It's the same with the two Lyns that are just a swordsman and a brave archer that are here, and the normal Princess Camilla and Spring Camilla. You also have a title, of course, which is _'Sinister General'_ for some reason.”

“I see,” Zelgius is having a hard time processing this, seeing alternate versions of others is a little unnerving, “But how do you explain the exact duplicates of ourselves that appear and fight alongside us in the Training Tower and Illusory Dungeons?”

“Uh... I'm... not sure if I should explain that one,” Mike grimaced more than usual, “It took me over three months to even remotely accept it. It's... kind of horrifying, actually.”

“Try me.”

“Well, have you heard of the Einherjar from the World of Awakening, or the Spirit Talismans from the World of Fates that's pretty much the same thing?” when Zelgius nodded, Mike continued, “Well, they're mainly like that, they're basically nothing more than mere phantoms. They're not the real thing, but they can fight and defend the Order if needed, but because they're phantoms, you can't really converse with them, and it really freaked out most of the other Heroes that were already there. This happened before you came in, of course, so you wouldn't have seen them. I still get the phantoms 'trained' in the Training Tower so they can be stronger, but I mainly use them as a final defense line for the castle since they're usually not intelligent enough to do most basic tactics on their own.”

“For a backup army, that's rather lacking,” Zelgius said, raising a brow.

“You think?” Mike scoffed a laugh, “Of course, as time passed, I discovered another use for the phantoms: I can actually 'sacrifice' them to give you all power. Now, before you get your pants in a twist,” she rose a finger at him when she saw Zelgius step towards her as a reaction, “This is actually something you've been through already. You know how I gave you the ability to increase the defenses of your armored teammates when you stand near them a while back? That was from a phantom of Sheena. I can't summon more than three phantoms of the same person at a time, and if I didn't sacrifice that phantom of her, she would've just remained... here, not being used in any fashion.”

“So... these phantoms are nothing more than mere objects in this case?” Zelgius asked.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Mike tugged at her hair, a usual habit she has when she's unnerved by something, “And what's worse, is that most of these phantoms would _beg_ me to sacrifice them. I don't even know if they can actually feel anything beyond their desire at wanting to be used in any fashion. And the worst thing about it is...” she trailed off.

This concerned him, “Mike?”

“Heh, well... It's been difficult for me to sleep every time I have to do it,” her smile didn't reach her eyes, which in turn looked more unnerved and tired that she already is, “But, if it hadn't been for them, I don't think I'd still be here with my mind intact.”

The phantoms have one more use? “...Your duties as a summoner and tactician are taking a toll on you, aren't they?”

“If it was just that, all I needed was to sleep in a bit and I'd feel better immediately. My dreams are getting difficult lately. Don't get me wrong, they're not exactly nightmares, but I often feel like I don't get much sleep because of it.”

So these dreams are becoming problematic. Zelgius can easily protect her from enemies, but not from attacks that take part in her own mind. Still... what could be done to help her?

“Anyway, thanks, KB, I do feel a little better talking about all this. I really appreciate you listening,” Mike gave a tired chuckle with a genuine smile to him for once, “Maybe once I'm able to properly probe at these dreams, I'll stop having them, and we'll keep going on like nothing happened. I've been able to get this far, so I can't stop now. I need to meet up with Anna to discuss some tactics, so I'll leave you alone for now. Take care, okay?”

He didn't stop her.

\- - - - - - -

_Later in the night after turning in, Zelgius dreamed._

_He found himself inside a dark and dense forest, old brick structures that were the remnants of whatever buildings that were there scattered here and about. The moon looked full, which helped illuminate some of the dense trees. He, still in his armor, but lacking the Alondite, pressed on. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel nervous, something didn't seem right._

_He found a small clearing, and rushed towards it. Crows were making their cries across the sky. He saw someone standing in the distance holding two different things in both their hands. A friend? A foe? He couldn't tell. As Zelgius approached, the figure turned their head, not enough to see their full face, but it was enough to give him pause and is frozen into place._

_Himself. Zelgius is seeing himself, armor and all, and stained with blood. A silver sword caked with more blood clutched in his right hand, what he held with his left is a bloody body of a mage he didn't recognize, a much older man with a dark purple cloak with gold trim. A tome dark in color with a mix of black and purple with a red diamond-shaped center._

_Zelgius tried to speak, but no words came out. The other Black Knight clearly saw him, but moved forward, ignoring him, while dragging the body away to who knows where. All of a sudden the mage lurched away from the other Black Knight's grip, clearly trying to get away despite his soon to be fatal wounds._

_That triggered a change in the other Black Knight's behavior. He moved fast. Unusually fast. He chased after the mage and struck him down with the silver sword. The mage cried out in sheer pain, and Zelgius could only watch. The other Black Knight has had enough._

_The silver sword was plunged deep into the mage, and shoved around until the mage was cut into two._

_With the deed done, the other Black Knight turned to Zelgius, who remained frozen in place. He walked forward, approaching Zelgius like he was another one of his targets. Zelgius tried to move, but couldn't. He saw the blade rise up above the impostor's head..._

_A hand grasped his, and he turned to see who-_

_Mike, with a white melting substance covering most of her face, her hands charred beyond recognition._

_A very unsettling grin creeped on Mike's lips._

**_THUMP!_ **

Zelgius woke with a start.

He blinked, squinting as the sun's rays were beginning to peek in. What just happened? He sat up on the bed, trying to process what it is that bothered him so. It was only a dream. Just a dream...

He donned his armor and went out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mike doesn't seem to be stable right now...
> 
> For those wondering, the Einherjar and Spirit Talismans are one and the same. I imagine that since they're called Spirit Talismans in the Japanese games, it would make sense that the Hoshidans at the very least would call them that as well.
> 
> Also, I have an explanation for how duplicate Heroes are handled for this story. As how Mike explained it, there can only be one individual of the same title and the same time, while duplicates after that become vague phantoms of the real thing. As for why Mike says that she can only summon up to three phantoms, it's because the game will only let you play four units at a time for maps. It should be noted that a fair few game modes don't allow duplicate Heroes. There isn't a canon explanation for this or Skill Inheritance in the game, but I figured it would be a neat twist on it. With that said, while it might not be possible in this story, Mike will refuse to use the original Heroes as Skill Fodder.
> 
> I wonder who it was the other Black Knight killed...


	8. A Long Way Down or a Long Way Up?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Just to note, there are references of severe bullying and some profanity in this chapter, but this story is rated T for a reason._
> 
>  
> 
> We're learning more about Mike, but... she's not quite right, is she? Or maybe...
> 
> Looks like chaos will start charring the truth here.

Zelgius watched Mike from a distance. He saw that she seemed to be feeling better ever since their last talk the day before, but after that dream he had last night, he isn't really sure. Seeing that other Black Knight attack and kill that mage was one thing, but the fact that the setting is so unusual, with the other Black Knight's behavior so out of character, made things more confusing than ever. Whenever Zelgius went for the kill, he usually made it quick, since quicker deaths were easier to dole out compared to... the rather torturous method his impostor in the dream used.

But the moment in the dream that really stood out to him? The creepy grin that the Mike in there bore. Zelgius recalled seeing Mike make an unusual grin in the healer's room, but that grin and the one he saw in the dream... were one and the same.

So he watched her again for the next few days.

From what he had gathered in one of their many conversations some days before, Mike has been having strange dreams almost every night for some time now. Not necessarily nightmares, but bothersome dreams nonetheless. So far, it hasn't reflected badly on Mike's record of delivering ideal tactics, but Zelgius knew that it will not be so one of these days, and he felt that even a handful of other Heroes are beginning to notice Mike's gradual change in behavior. She still speaks in various tones from happy to gloomy, to crazy and random. It was the same attitude that Mike had always presented herself having. Its just more... unhinged than usual, if that's the right word.

So he watched.

A few weeks passed, and Mike managed to summon some new Heroes. One of which caused a massive panic from those from the World of Awakening once a male Robin that acted unusual appeared, and later the female Robin with the same behavior came, which made the Awakening Heroes go ballistic about having not one, but two Fell Dragons in the Order. Mike somehow managed to keep the two into somewhat respectable behavior by ordering them through the contracts, which calmed the panic.

Another Hero wasn't exactly summoned, but found rather, whom turned out to be Prince Takumi of Hoshido... as an Empty Vessel. Naturally, the Prince Takumi that is already in the Order is unnerved about it, so he – along with his siblings – kept his distance. Mike didn't seem to mind; in fact, she seemed... thrilled? The grin that made Zelgius pause appeared once Mike took the Empty Vessel under her rein. The fallen Takumi didn't talk much, but seemed to relax when around her.

Zelgius isn't sure how Mike managed to get the two Fell Dragons and the fallen prince to properly behave, but he did notice that Mike seemed to feel more aggressive. Slight, but it's there. Prince Alfonse didn't seem too concerned, because he said something about how Mike is able to handle Múspell's aggressive tactics fairly well. The three turned out to be powerful allies, as some would begrudgingly admit, so it did make the workload of fighting easier for some.

With Mike's guidance (under Commander Anna, but honestly, it's debatable), the Order was able to gradually learn the possibility of eliminating the Flames of Múspell... at the cost of Princess Gunnthrá's life.

\- - - - - - -

Needless to say, Mike... didn't take Gunnthrá's death very well.

She stood there with a blank stare on her face, staring at Gunnthrá's burnt body as Surtr gloated in the background with Fjorm wailing in grief. Múspell forces were converging, but before the Black Knight started to reach out to her, Mike's mouth twitched into a twisted snarl.

_“Time to go ATOMIC on this son of a bitch-ass engage Ridley motherfucker!”_

“A WHAT?!”

Some of the Heroes (and even some of the nearby Múspell soldiers), gawked at Mike's words. Even the Black Knight looked stunned, judging from his stillness. Gah. Stupid helmet concealing his emotions like the walking tin can he is and _MOVING ON, LOSERS._

Her tactics were much more aggressive this time. It didn't endanger and of the other Heroes any more than it already does, but even the veterans such as Sigurd and Reinhardt noticed the change in tactics. She didn't care. No one said a word, though, because even they feel the need to take down Surtr, even though they are fully aware that nothing can be done yet. Gunnthrá's provided the way of allowing them to access the Rite of Frost, and they cannot let that chance go to waste. Mike refused to let that happen. She failed to protect Gunnthrá. Failed. FAILED.

And just when her dreams were starting to fade...

Before they retreated, Mike made sure to take Gunnthrá's burnt body with her. She had Reinhardt unleash a flurry of thunder alongside Leo's dark magic to slow them down while she went for the deceased. It was stupid, since the Order didn't have time to spare during the retreat, especially to grab a dead body, but she refused to leave the Voice of Dreams behind like that. The army in her home country refused to do that, and while she may not be an actual soldier in her world, she will act like one. Gunnthrá may not have been an official part of the Order, but still a part nonetheless. Mike won't leave anyone behind. Not to where Surtr can do _WhO thE HeLL KNowS WhaT_ to the corpses of his enemies or victims.

Once they were in the clear, Mike cursed to herself upon hearing the news that General Laegjarn, whom they had captured earlier, had successfully escaped from their grasp. She didn't blame Sharena, though. She knew that the enemy general is clever, and probably would've found a way to escape one way or another. No matter. They've captured her before, they can do it again. They've defeated her before, and they can do that again, too. Mike didn't exactly care about keeping hostages, and she knew for a fact that Surtr wouldn't care about his own daughters being such if she (through her Heroes) did capture them, so keeping the two – or anyone rather – as a hostage in any fashion against Surtr would be pointless.

After all, Surtr is pretty much a stereotypical anime-wannabe villain who cares about nothing but death and destruction. Essentially, the most predictable out there. Mike couldn't help but wonder how exactly would he be able to rule the world if he burns everything away into a crisp. There wouldn't be any loyal subjects to follow him after that, for one. Mike is pretty sure Surtr isn't thinking that through.

Still, she knew not to underestimate the Ruler of Flame. Even though Surtr is predictable, his power is no joke, and although those like the Black Knight, Ike, or Sigurd can easily take him down under normal circumstances, the effects of the Sinmara can burn any opponent to weaken them, and Mike isn't going to expose them to that, not after what it did to Gunnthrá. Even though she could just summon them again once they die, she didn't want the pain of being burned to a crisp to be etched into their psyche. Sigurd already had that done to him, so there is no way in hell will Mike let him experience that again.

Mike made a mental note to hunt Loki down whenever they can, too. According to Surtr, Loki is the one that led him to Gunnthrá in the first place, meaning that the Trickster somehow found Gunnthrá's hiding place. As far as Mike is concerned, she knew that Loki isn't actually loyal to Surtr. Like her namesake, all Loki cared about is mischief and chaos. And she knew about Loki's current scheme that can potentially destroy the Order from the inside.

Too bad for the Trickster, Mike has already--

...Well.

_That wouldn't be fun now, would it?_

“Did you say something, Mike?”

Oh, the ever interesting Black Knight. How she adores the attention he gives. Not in a romantic way, of course, since she cannot feel it, but he is fun to talk to. Still, Mike didn't want him to see her in her current state. Friends don't do that to each other. No no. Friends should only wait until it's safe to reveal their troubles, not in the middle of a retreat from Múspell soldiers, silly. Or until the troubled friend feels they're ready. One of the two.

Alas, better talk or he will be worried. Can't have that right now. Nope.

“Nothing important, KB,” she growled to hide her mood, using the affectionate nickname she originally made as a joke, but kept, “I'm thinking of what we should do next.”

“...Very well.”

Oh, dear. He most likely didn't believe her.

Still, he left it alone. That definitely made things easier, that's for sure. He had already been caught once, and she did not want that to happen again. The Black Knight has already gone through enough madness in his lifetime, and he had already been trapped once. She isn't sure how she managed to save him from the madness. If there is one thing she has accepted, is that everyone in this world and any other are all mad just like her.

She figures she's just more mad than the usual person, and she will _take_ that madness _gladly_.

Once they made it back to a rendezvous point, Mike used the Briedablik to create a portal back to the castle, and gestured for the Heroes to go on through.

Normally, in Mike's homeland, the deceased are primarily cremated, but she made sure to give Gunnthrá a coffin with Nifl's emblem engraved after wrapping her body with clean sheets. She had already been burned once, and Mike knew better to do that to her now. She left the eldest princess of Nifl in one of the frost rooms, originally used to store some food, to use as a temporary morgue to preserve her body, complete with the entire space set aside all for her. Once this conflict with Múspell ends, Mike will return Gunnthrá to her home, to Fjorm, as any person like her should.

Although Mike failed to save Gunnthrá, returning her to Nifl once the kingdom is freed is the least she can do.

Fjorm is... thankful.

_...Sorry, Gunnthrá._

\- - - - - - -

Zelgius noticed that Mike seemed to be going back to how she originally presented herself, little by little. He knew she didn't take Princess Gunnthrá's death lightly. Not by a long shot, but thankfully, she seems to be recovering, if only little by little. However, there is one thing that changed.

Mike started singing. She would sing when no one else was watching.

They're not songs Zelgius is familiar with, which did make sense, since being from another world can do that. Still, singing songs were one thing, but the lyrics for the songs, well... can be a little disturbing.

_“Sound is a twisted lullaby~. Touch is the slice before the blood~,” Mike would sing quietly, “Soon something's got to give in~.”_

_“What is that you're singing?”_

_Mike snapped to his direction before letting out a deep breath while pushing her pointer fingers together, “Ah... Sorry, KB. It's just a song from my home world. It's called 'Long Way Down'. I think some guy named Gary Numan sang the original one. I forget who composed it though. I think it was Something Takeda...? Eh, whatever. Sometimes, when I get really stressed, I found that singing something really helps. Not much, but I'd rather have a little help or no help.”_

_“It is...” What is the right word for it? The lyrics implied it wasn't a song meant to make one feel happy, but terrified, “Interesting.”_

_“Well, it's a song from a survival horror game, and I'm a huge fan of the genre. You wouldn't really know of it.”_

_“You play games where you survive worse horrors?” Zelgius became unnerved when hearing this. Just what the hell had she gone through that made her speak it so_ nonchalantly? _Wouldn't she have more scars than the few she already has? Or--_

_“You're probably thinking I went through dungeon trial or something, aren't you?” Mike teased, which caught Zelgius slightly off guard,“But no, it's just a video game. Those aren't actually real, but... I'm losing you, aren't I? Haha. Okay, let me see how I can explain this to you._

_You see, in my world, a video game is...”_

Later that day, he saw Ike, Mist, and Soren approach her, along with an older version of the first (Zelgius is still a little unnerved by that. Two Ikes? Yikes. The third one, who holds the axe of his father, was nowhere in sight) that Mike somehow summoned earlier and started speaking to her. He didn't dare walk up to them upright, so he settled for just barely keeping out of earshot, since he is supposed to be her guard. Well, he isn't officially assigned as her guard, but she did need protection, nonetheless.

“They need to talk to me alone, KB,” Mike sighed, “Why not go see if Hector wants to spar with you?”

Zelgius considered refusing, but for once, he didn't want to pick a fight. He knew those tomes can hurt, even though she never actually threw one at him, so he walked away.

“You know who he is, right?”

“Who, KB? Yeah, he's the Black Knight, and your so-called, uh... What's the word? 'Archnemesis' or ' rival' or something?”

So they were talking about him. Zelgius gripped the Alondite a bit more tightly than usual, but made no move. If those three try anything out of line, they have to answer to the Alondite. As he walked away while keeping an eye on the summoner, he watched Mike listening to whatever the Mercenaries were telling her. He saw her doing her usual somewhat exaggerated motions when processing information, such as slowly swaying her body left and right while keeping her feet close together, or tapping her head with her finger in a subtle comic tone. He rose a brow when he saw Mike rubbing her thumb on Soren's forehead, much to the latter' displeasure.

Were they telling her about the races in his world? The Beorc, Laguz... and the Branded? If the older Ike knows his identity...

He walked out of sight.

Although Zelgius didn't want to admit it, he did consider Mike a friend, or at least a friend in the extent that a nameless knight is capable of having. He hated being alone more than anything else, and Sephiran was the only one who didn't reject him, yet Mike... No. It's best not to dwell on that.

The Branded do not exist here, yet Zelgius cannot help but feel some envy at some of the other Heroes who hold brands that show proof of their royal lineage. Chrom proudly displays his, as does his daughter Lucina who doesn't wear an eyepatch to cover it. Then again, it's pretty hard to notice Lucina's brand unless one took the time to look at her face closely. Celica is also said to have one, but she mainly has her hidden with her glove. Those like Sigurd, Eldigan, Deirdre, and their children also have brands that signify their ancestors, but most of them are usually hidden under either their clothes or accessories.

His brand? Just some proof that someone from his father's side was with a Laguz and started with a family tree from there. So how exactly would Mike react if she knew what he is?

Part of him didn't want to know.

\- - - - - - -

_Gunnthrá._

_Dead. De-de-deead. Dead. Ddddd-dddeee-eeee-aaaa-ddddd._

_Gunnthrá. Dead._

_Burnt like a piece of meat._

_Surtr called her meat._

_Damn cannibal. I-i-is he even a cannibal? Proba-bably not. Still. H-hate. Surtr relished the hate. Won't give the satisfaction. No. Gunnthrá. Dead. He killed. He burned. Kill burned. Bur-burned her._

_Forget Veronica. She doesn't kill anyone she binds a contract to. Surtr kills. Relishes like the condiment. Wait. That m-m-made no s-s-s-s-sense. Still, probably a canni-nibal. If he eats death for breakfast. He kills kill kill._

_Gunnthrá. Dead._

_DEAD._

_GUNNTHRÀ. DEAD._

_BURNT CORPSE. FREUD. KELOID. BRUTAL. BURNT._

_Loki found her. Loki. Chaos. Discord. Trickster. Trickster Loki. Loki Trickster. Chaos and Discord._

_Shits and giggles. Sh-shits and gi-giggles... Giggles and scones can break thy bones of … how did the song go again? Not right to begin with. Still. Loki. Must punish. Surtr. Must punish._

_Hate. Hate. Revenge is not. Revenge not the answer. Oh no. Will not be enough. Won't bother with revenge. Nnnno no no nononononooooo... Torture. To-to-torture not enough. Must teach lesson. Just like others before. Yes. Te-teach. Can't kill. Can't hurt physically._

_Mentally...?_

_Hmmmmm~_

_Oh...? Look who we have here. More of them!_

_Ha... hahaha.... haahahahaha....!_

_A open mouthed grin, the cackling..._

_A red mist forms from the brutally murdered corpse. A scream full of pain, the fire never going away. Hands emerge. Snarls growl._

_A deep breathing of untold anger and horror._

_...Let's have fun, shall we?_

\- - - - - - -

In her bedroom, Mike opened her eyes.

It didn't matter what the Ikes and the other Mercenaries told her. The older Ike, said to be a legendary hero, is more mature about it, but the other Mercenaries do not have that luxury of knowledge. Regardless, the Black Knight is still her friend, or at least as much as she is aware. He protected her faithfully, even though he had no obligation to. Since the Black Knight is the only Hero in the Order who is not bound by the contract between Hero and Summoner, she knew that he is under control of his own actions. He could have left at any time, or asked to be sent home, or even go off to join Embla or Múspell – although she is happy he didn't do the latter – everything was for him to choose.

Mike broke the contract between them without saying anything as a test about a month after the Black Knight joined her ranks, but only to the extent to prevent Veronica or some other Summoner to put him under their own contracts. Whatever the Black Knight did out of concern for her was truly genuine. Nothing compelled him to do anything for her, and the both of them could talk about things with nothing to restrain them.

Mike... treasured that small bond, despite knowing that it could be shattered at any given time.

Despite some of his past deeds, Mike didn't feel any different. It's kind of hard to considering she feels that she's also guilty of killing someone's family member. She never deliberately killed anybody in war back in her world, but with her commands here in Zenith, she wouldn't find it surprising that death would come and go. If anything, the only reason she can remotely take it is because the others are the ones doing the killing, not her. Still, she did instigate those deaths, even if it was only to help the other Heroes protect themselves or her.

Thinking about it, some of the deaths in her home world may or may not have been her fault. She never intended for them to happen, of course, and she recalled that she could have been able to stop at least one death from happening, but alas, people can be dumb at times when it comes to their alcohol.

Then again, it was that one person's fault that Mike's weakened leg is the way it is now, the one right leg she dared not show to anyone in the Order. That person's death did not give her any satisfaction, which in turn gave her the lesson that “revenge by death through karma” wouldn't make anyone happy. If anything, it left her a lack of closure, but she learned to accept it after a few years of pondering once in a blue moon. There's no point into accepting apologies from those who came to regret their actions years later, they're as many years too late to do that.

There was one other death, but... Ah well, no point.

Twisting her lips into a wry smile, she really needs to stop thinking about this. No need to think about stupid children who bullied and scarred her in both body and soul back in her school days that she has yet to fully recover from, despite it being more than eight years ago. There is also no point in recalling that one assault that she was able to stop. She left her curse to them, and as the years passed, karma slowly got to them one by one...

But back to Zenith matters. No need to focus on the past anymore. They're not her enemies anymore, Embla and Múspell are now!

She remembered the first kill in Askr done through her orders. The feeling of uneasiness and possible guilt never went away. Her first victim had long pale hair and blue eyes.

Mike never knew her name, but she still remembered. She remembered that same person calling her a monster as the life bled out of her.

Well... sometimes the only thing that will destroy a monster is another one.

Even if she has to become such a monster herself.

She long acknowledged herself as one, especially if one considers some of her... past deeds due to her pragmatism.

Despite the smile wobbling slightly with grief, she went back to sleep, perfectly content.

She has to.

\- - - - - - -

…

…

…

…

HOW MANY DEATHS WILL IT BE THIS TIME?

THE GAME IS ON.

…

…

…

…

….

_I don't want to do this anymore!_

_I have to! I cannot let those two escape!_

_Ha... haha...!_

_Fine! So be it!_

_You've made them your prisoners before, so now you'll be MY prisoners, instead!_

_So now you have to obey ME!”_

_And I am never letting you go!_

_I will_ never _let you leave!_

 _I will_ never _let you rest!_

_The roars of agony continued._

…

…

...

_Tomorrow is another daaa-aaaay~_

_Ha ha~!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song “Long Way Down” is the main theme song for the survival horror game The Evil Within. It was composed by Masafumi Takada, but Mike mispronounces his surname as “Takeda,” which does sound similar to English speakers. She is correct when she said that the vocals were done by Gary Numan, however.
> 
> As a coping mechanism, Mike's model occasionally sings when she's stressed, but she doesn't like singing in front of other people; which is a shame, because I feel she has potential. Although, like Mike, she does have a strange choice of songs, Long Way Down being one of them. Apparently, she doesn't like singing the “Disney-like songs.” I'm not sure what she means by that...
> 
> On another note, something is...?


	9. Which is the Real Bounty? SPECIAL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We interrupt this program for a small special episode of Unpredictable! This can take place any time after Chapter 7, and even though the The Land's Bounty came out after Book II: Chapter 13, let's just assume that Surtr has not been defeated yet in this story. I mean, seriously, with Surtr defeated, it would've just left a “What now?” predicament. Still waiting for a Book III, Intelligent Systems!
> 
> Happy Halloween, readers! I hope you enjoy your treats!

Zelgius isn't sure what to be more concerned about, Commander Anna suddenly declaring that all Heroes are to have only one mouth full of food each day, Prince Alfonse's offhand question as to how the former calculated that, or Mike being completely nonchalant about it. Although this quickly became mitigated once Prince Alfonse pointed out that Commander Anna always gets like this at this time of year. The latter claimed that the Order is running dangerously low on rations, due to most of the funds being used to repair the castle. The thing that Zelgius wanted to ask, but never could is: What repairs? He didn't recall seeing any?

Princess Sharena piped up saying that the harvest festival is about to start, where one tradition is where people give out candy to those who say “Trick or Treat.” What does that even mean? Still... surviving on only candy... is a bit much. At least there's the option of winning the prize... pumpkin? What is going on again?

He turned to Mike, who spoke before he even opened his mouth, “Don't worry, KB, she's only talking about the budget she herself has,” Mike shrugged off his concern when he brought it up, “It may not look like it, but Anna's actually pretty bad with her money.”

“Are the rations really that low?”

“They _are_ somewhat low, but it's actually not as bad as Anna says it is. The thing is, _I've_ been the one keeping the rations properly stocked. You remember my peanut butter business, right?” When he nodded, Mike continued, “Well, I've mainly been using the profits from that to purchase extra rations along with crop seed for those like Donnel and the others with farming experience to tend to and grow our own crops. Problem is, we're getting close to that time of year where a decent number of our crop selection is out of season, and thus, can't grow them.”

“Are there any alternatives?”

“There are, but Anna's, uh... a _little_ too deep in her own little world to remember that,” Mike glanced to the side with her mouth showing a grimace of annoyance, “I mean, about a third of the repairs weren't even necessary, since it was all nothing but to doll up the castle itself. And if you're wondering what the other repairs were about, to be more accurate, it's actually to help prepare for the winter season. It's nothing like Nifl, but the blizzards here can be pretty brutal.”

“So, what you're saying is, there isn't any _actual_ danger on the rations.”

“Not yet, anyway,” Mike tapped the side of her head, a usual habit of hers when she thinks, “Anna is right about there being a food shortage, so we might have to restrict it a bit for now. I don't intend on cutting too much out of the rations for the time being since that's not healthy, and I'm sure that if I explain it to the others they'll understand. And besides, most of them basically hunt for their own food every now and then, and some of them – primarily the thieves like Matthew and Gaius – have money from selling the equipment from the enemies we killed from either Embla or Múspell. So if there's anything specific they want, they can just go buy it themselves from downtown. Or city centre, if that's the term you use. There's also the two rooms that I converted into greenhouses, which we use to grow crops any day of the year, even those that aren't in season. Leo does a good job handling that, of course, thanks to his Brynhildr tome.”

Zelgius had to hand it to Mike. She really thought all of this out even before this? This is saying something considering the antics of the commander with merchant connections, “How are you not the Commander again?”

“Anna has to be busy with _something_ , or else she'll just focus on selling us stuff we don't need,” the summoner crossed her arms in exasperation, “Honestly, I don't even see her as a commander anymore, but I do need her for her navigation skills, which I do not have in this world, so I'll take whatever advantage I can get, as annoying as it can be at times. But back to rations,” Mike started walking down the hall with Zelgius following, “Since the weather's getting cooler, I'll consult Donnel on what would be ideal ways of storing meat for the winter. If there's anyone to ask when it comes to crops and wild game, it's him.”

“It looks like you have this all sorted out, then,” Zelgius said.

“In theory, we'll just have to see if we can put the changes into effect. Anyway, I better go announce to the Order about the food problem and then we'll go to that harvest festival to see if we can get our hands on not just candy, but some of the harvest, since that should be able to curb the problem somewhat. If there's one thing that can trump people into working that isn't money, it's food.”

Thankfully, despite the concern, most of the Heroes were fine about the food problem, and each decided to work their hardest to help curb the problem. Some, such as Valter, Michalis, and maybe Innes, weren't too happy, but they agreed to help out as well. Although Berkut considered himself above labor like that.

Which then came the moment when Mike felt like picking a fight with Berkut. Again.

Zelgius internally sighed.

_“Oh, yeah? You think you're above simple chores like this, Mister?”_

_“Hrmpf! The nerve you have! If this were Rigel, your head would be rolling on the floor!”_

_“If you did that left and right, you'd be warring with every country in your world, Berkuti!”_

_“Will you cease calling me that?! And what does that even mean?!”_

_“Then accept that not even rulers can have everything! Come on, you're better than this!”_

Here they go again.

Zelgius isn't really sure on what should be more weird for him: Mike arguing with a royal, a prince at that. Or that the two of them constantly squabble like they're siblings, as Alfonse once mentioned them being like such.

Then again, it's helped keep Mike calm, and it did keep things interesting.

\- - - - - - -

The battle to win the prize pumpkin went relatively smoothly, and much to Mike's surprise, the Order was given a decent share of the harvest as a secondary prize, which helped stop the food problem for the time being. Granted, it wasn't a major problem to begin with, but it was best to relieve that now when it was noticed than right as the food was actually running out. In return for the harvest given to them, most of the Order volunteered to help out carry the rest of the festivities for the festival.

Mike looked around as she saw the Heroes hard at work while enjoying the festivities.

_“Trick-or-Treat!”_

She looked to another direction and saw children saying the phrase to get their candy. All the costumes. All the candy. All the music. All the fun. All the...

Mike sighed. It wasn't that she didn't celebrate Halloween, but she's considered too old to trick-or-treat for candy. In her homeland, all she had to do was just buy some candy and that was it. She'd give it out, but never actually keep any. Eventually, she gave up that part of the tradition, too, since more often than not, she would find people doing the trick-or-treat without a costume, which essentially eliminated the point.

Another thing that made her feel down is that she has no way of being with her family for the other event, and last she checked, no one celebrates that here. Granted, her family didn't celebrate it at first, but after they moved into a town that did, it quickly became one of Mike's favorite events. Despite her sadness, Mike's mind remained quiet.

Determined to at least have some semblance of her usual tradition, she went and purchased a cheap candle and walked into an alley where she'd be away from view. She didn't have anything to make an ofrenda to any of her family members, nor did she have access to any of the food used as offerings. Still, she wanted to improvise whatever she could.

The only distant relative Mike can distinctly remember is her paternal grandmother. Her maternal grandmother was around when she was born, but she passed on back when Mike was three, so she couldn't really remember her face. Both of her grandfathers died before she was born, let alone before her parents even married. The paternal through old age and illness, the maternal by a work related accident back when her mother was still a child. Any relatives before or around them? Her parents never said much about them, especially her mother, who has an extended family of over three hundred members that she is somewhat estranged from. Her father only has a small family, so she knew about his siblings and one cousin, but that was pretty much it.

As a result, Mike often felt envy for those who still had grandparents even at her age. She wondered how many stories they had to tell, but never could.

Too late to want that, she guessed.

Mike lit the candle and set it on a nearby wooden crate. She then dug into her pocket to take out some of the candy she had received earlier from Mia – who pretty much went all out for the festival – and placed them in front of the candle as an offering. Sadly, there weren't any marigolds for her to find. If she had known they'd be going to a festival, she'd try to make some paper flowers ahead of time, but they wouldn't be in the right color, and finding colored paper in this world is difficult. Sure, there may be some being sold in one of the booths, but they're fairly expensive.

Finally, she took out her cell phone and opened the app containing her pictures. She took a little time to look over them before finding the one photo that had her grandparents together, even though they're just two separate photographs next to each other on a table. She paused, then went past a few more photos to look at one more family member, a distant uncle from her father's side.

Right... he's recently deceased. Mike wonders how his daughter is doing.

Going back to the photo with her grandparents, she set the phone next to the candle and propped it against a rock.

It's not an ideal ofrenda, but since she isn't home, she had to make do with what she had on hand.

…

It's not really the same, is it?

No, it isn't.

“I'm sorry I couldn't provide you a proper ceremony, everyone,” Mike sighed, “If I were home, I would've been able to. I probably might still be able to here, but... I can't just use the army's resources. I don't expect you to forgive me, so I can only hope that the others back home will provide you all the offerings you'll need until next year,” She let out a sad chuckle, “Heh, I wonder if you have friends on the other side? Maybe they'll be willing to share a meal or two. Maybe talk about at how your granddaughter can't even provide a proper offering.”

No response. That's to be expected, of course. The dead cannot communicate with the living, or at least that's the rule in her home world. Still. Only one thing left to do. She cannot remember all the songs without reading the lyrics, but she did know one song. She took a deep breath.

*

_“I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go._

_Walkin' with a dead man over my shoulder._  
_I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go._  
_Walkin' with a dead man over my shoulder._

 _“Waiting for an invitation to arrive,_  
_Goin' to a party where no one's still alive._  
_Waiting for an invitation to arrive,_  
_Goin' to a party where no one's still alive._

 _“I was struck by lighting, walkin' down the street,_  
_I was hit by something last night in my sleep._  
_It's a dead man's party who could ask for more?_  
_Everybody's comin', leave your body at the door,_  
_Leave your body and soul at the door_

 _Don't run away it's only me_  
_Don't be afraid of what you can't see_  
_Don't run away it's only me (only me)_  
_Don't be afraid of what you can't see_  
_It's only me._

 _I'm all dressed up, nowhere to go_  
_Walkin' with a dead man (oh!) with a dead man_  
_Ooh ooh, waitin' for an invitation to arrive_  
_Ooh! Walkin' with a dead man, dead man (with a dead man)_

 _I got my best suit and my tie_  
_With a shiny silver dollar on either eye_  
_I hear the chauffeur comin' to my door_  
_Says there's room for maybe just one mo-_

*

“So this is where you have been.”

Mike coughed and looked out the way that lead to the streets, and saw the Black Knight walking up to her with a bowl in his arm. Normally, she would be annoyed, but she felt too down to be so. Having him around is a comfort, but maybe not this time.

“Is it too much to ask to be left alone for a while?” Mike turned back to the makeshift ofrenda. Unable to bring herself to care about anything else for the moment.

He didn't reply at first, and Mike assumed he was about to leave before speaking, “What is this?”

She looked up and saw him looking at the ofrenda curiously. Right... he probably wouldn't know about this. He was already confused about the costumes and candy part of the harvest festival. She might a well explain it to him. Then again, he didn't ask what song she was singing this time. Or maybe he didn't hear it, since she sang it at a whisper. Or maybe _FORGET IT MIKE JUST TELL HIM OR SO HELP ME-_

Her mind went quiet.

Right. Better talk.

“Well, it's supposed to be an ofrenda, but this is nothing like the actual thing.”

“Is this... a part of the harvest festival, too? This... of... friend-a?”

Mike snorted in amusement at his mispronunciation, “It's pronounced 'ofrenda,' KB, you roll the 'R,' and no, this is for something completely different. It's not exactly celebrated in my homeland, but people from a neighboring country brought the tradition over, and eventually it reached to me. Some of my neighbors are from that country, and their kids invited me because they wanted me to see what it's like when I told them I had no idea what it was.”

“Which is...?”

“Officially, it's called Día de Muertos, or in our language, the Day of the Dead. It's primarily a festival that celebrates the remembrance of ancestors, family members, and sometimes friends, who have died. It's not something for you to grieve about, but to fondly remember them. Celebrate the good memories, tell the dead your stories, tell the living stories about the dead that are remembered, tend to their altars or their graves, that sort of thing. You sing songs with the family, eat delicious food and treats, and play as if the spirits of the dead are right beside you. Sometimes you even offer them treats for them to take back to the Land of the Dead.”

The Black Knight is quiet, and Mike knew not to say anything else until he asked something. The two of them are not only from different walks of life, but different worlds as well, so the clash of cultures and mindsets can be jarring. He never told Mike much about himself – not that she needed him to – but she was fine with it all the same. At home on Earth, this would be rather boring banter or explanations. For him, or the few Heroes that manage to get into a proper conversation with her? They loved listening to her stories.

Although she is pretty sure that actually seeing a car or a skyscraper – the mere thought of it being amusing to the Heroes – would probably shock them beyond belief, and probably get lost in just two blocks. That's what usually happens to a complete newcomer traveling through a metropolitan area without a map for the first time, and even then, a map not be of use if that person doesn't know how to read it.

Heh. She can just imagine certain Heroes such as Chrom having a hard time in her home city, especially if he ever has the misfortune of asking a woman for directions. As often as he puts his foot in his mouth, Mike understands that he's just terrible at talking to women at times, especially if he either finds them attractive or if the woman happens to be outside of what he perceives him to be.

“Do you miss your family?”

Mike blinked at the Black Knight's direction, “I do,” she didn't bother denying it, but something did make her curious, even though she knows the most likely answer, “...do you?”

“I do not. I was never accepted to begin with.”

Mike is pretty sure she knows the reason why, but chose not to mention it. It wouldn't be fair to the Black Knight, “I see,” she looked at him, ready to approach a different subject, “So what's with the bowl?”

“It's candy from the festival. For some reason, Princess Sharena found it fit to hand it to me. However, I have little desire for them,” he set down the bowl next to the ofrenda, “Perhaps your family would care for them, instead.”

Did he listen in earlier? Under normal circumstances, Mike would be annoyed, but she decided to make an exception this time.

Well, that's just how it goes, doesn't it?

“Thank you.”

It wasn't an ideal Halloween or an ideal Day of the Dead, but...

This is enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it for the special episode. Was it really one? I don't know. Anyway, to the notes!
> 
> So Mike apparently has spats with Berkut every now and then enough to where she has a special insult for him. Her insult of _"Berkuti"_ has the word _"kuti,"_ which refers to a derogatory term in a fair few Indian languages that basically means "bitch." So, essentially, Mike is calling Berkut a bitch. This joke came from Dead Rising 2, so I guess she's a fan of zombie games? I doubt she's using the insult correctly...
> 
> While they both have costumes, skeletons, treats, and death imagery, Halloween and Dia de Muertos (or Day of the Dead) are not one and the same, and the latter is most definitely NOT a Mexican Halloween. Halloween is more on the scaring, while Dia de Muertos is more on the remembering.
> 
> The flower that's used for Dia de Muertos, the cempoalxochitl, also known as the Mexican Marigold (or at least it's a type of marigold), is significant for the festival. I believe it's meant to be a marker for the dead to follow back to the world of the living? Either way, it's most likely not available in Askr, so Mike had no way of using one.
> 
> Also, the song that Mike sings in this story is "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo, a band that was around from 1972 to 1995 that was formed by Danny Elfman, who is a well known composer for films, especially for most of Tim Burton's films. You should give the song a try, and if you like it, try listening to the Farewell Concert on YouTube, it's definitely a fun ride.
> 
> Regardless of whichever holiday you celebrate, I wish you all a happy festival!


	10. The Dead or the Darkness?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Zelgius has a plan, but how wi-
> 
> ...What are they doing?

_Just stood there. Not saying a word._

_Looked up. Eyes obscured. Mouth expressionless._

_Walked forward. More followed._

_Another attacks. Avoids effortlessly._

_No reaction. Looked back._

_An enemy._

_...Fight back?_

_**→**  No_  
_Yes_

\- - - - - - -

Zelgius felt that he could see it a mile away once those grins were becoming more and more frequent.

Mike's mind is wearing out, and those dreams of hers are a sign of her needing help. But how can he do it?

Zelgius did not have a proficiency in magic, and the occasions he can recall seeing magic being used for something outside of combat and healing is few and far between, but would there be any kind of magic that can look through a person's dreams? There are a fair few mages of various types and skills in the Order, so one of them is bound to know something, but who could he consult to?

Soren from the Greil Mercenaries is out. For starters, that man has a proficiency for wind magic primarily, so Zelgius doubted that Soren would know anything about dream spells. Plus, Soren also hates him, and with Ike also having a hard time to even be willing to talk to him as the Black Knight, Zelgius decided that trying to get either one of them to help, even if it's for Mike's sake, is too much of a hassle to make it worth it. Thus, Soren, and by extension the rest of the Mercenaries, are out.

Nino couldn't read very well, and from the times Zelgius has fought alongside her, he found that Nino had mainly been reciting spells she learned from memory, and only uses the tomes to magnify her magic without actually being able to read it. Impressive as that is, Zelgius had to remove her from the list of potential helpers. Reinhardt might be worth a shot, but he is called the “Thunder's Fist” for a reason. Still, Zelgius decided to file away the name for later. Arvis is also out, since that emperor of flame (or so he says) is mainly an expert on fire magic.

Perhaps the male and female Robins? Probably not, since they're more into creating tactics with Mike. Still, they're clear-headed, so they might be able to point him in the right direction. Saias is in the same league as the two Robins, so Zelgius filed away that name, too. Cecilia is also in the same boat, but Zelgius decided to eliminate her from the list since she's busy enough as is by teaching the younger mages such as Lilina and Nino. Tharja and Henry are dark mages from the World of Awakening, but considering the former's history of placing random experimental hexes and the latter's tendency of crow puns, he isn't really sure how to proceed with those two. Odin... Yeah, he's not going to bother with that Nohrian mage, since from what Zelgius noticed, is that it's almost impossible to even have a normal conversation with the theatrical man.

There are numerous other mages, but the ones Zelgius considered were the ones who even looked competent in areas outside their usual magic. Still, he eliminated each of them little by little.

Which leaves...

….

Finding the mage who most likely had the knowledge wasn't easy, but eventually Zelgius accomplished it when he walked into a second library that the Heroes were allowed to look through. The young blonde clad with purple and black armor is at a table reading books about who knows what, with many more beside him.

“Prince Leo.”

The youngest Nohrian prince looked up from the book he was reading, “Oh, you're... the Black Knight.”

“That I am.”

“What brings you here?” Prince Leo set the book aside, “I doubt you're here for a chat.”

“You assume correctly.”

“So what do you need from me?”

No going back now. Zelgius took a quiet breath before asking the question, “Do you know of any way that could allow one to see another person's dreams?”

Prince Leo rose a brow, “I know of a few ways of doing it. May I ask why you are interested in that of all things?”

Zelgius went and explained his reasoning, from Mike's behavior to her unusual actions, to even the moment where she attacked Lachesis while under her fever, “She did admit to me that she has been having odd dreams. 'Not exactly nightmares' as she quoted, but she did say at least once that they are keeping her from getting a full night's sleep. I fear she is getting worse every day that passes.”

“I see,” Leo rubbed a finger against his lips in thought, “So I wasn't the only one who thought she was becoming more erratic as of late... To answer your question, there are spells that can allow one to not only see a person's dreams, but also explore them along with their memories. A mental world, to put it simply.”

“There are?” Zelgius asked, incredulous, while trying to keep his partially excited tone from leaking. Not only see, but to actually explore into a person's dream world? This is becoming unusually exciting even for him. He tells himself to calm down, because unless it's safe to use, it would be pointless.

“Yes, but unfortunately, it is classified as dark magic, so more often than not, the mages that used to do these do more harm than good. It was originally done as a means of interrogation during assassinations or times of war, so that way even if spies or figures of interest wouldn't talk, the mages can just use those spells to 'poke into their minds,' so to speak.”

“...What's the catch?”

“You're more intuitive than I thought,” Leo smiled, “As useful as the spells can be, if you either perform the spell wrong, of if you explore in a person's mind deep enough and destroy certain things inside, it can break the person from inside out. They become catatonic, or stuck into a period of permanent stupor. Essentially, it shuts down their mind. Or in the worst cases of those actually going inside a dream world, the mage will become trapped and never be able to get out.”

...Zelgius has a hard time processing that. So while it can go well, it can go just as bad.

“However, it is possible to use the dream spells to treat a person with mental issues, but the risks for both the mage performing the spells and for the person needing the treatment is very high. More often than not both both the mage and the patient end up becoming mentally destroyed, so to speak.”

“Is there not a safer method?”

“Unfortunately, not to my knowledge,” Leo grimaced, “Odin might know something, since he makes up weird spells all the time, and I have seen him perform a few that at least modified people's dreams, including mine at least once. I could ask him for an input. We could also see if we can convince Prince Alfonse into letting me look through that one library we're all forbidden to go in, or we could at least convince him to bring out some of the texts for the subject in question and I could research them. Either way, it will take some time.”

“You are willing to help?” Zelgius asked, surprised.

“Clearly,” Leo stood up and started putting the texts he was reading earlier away, “Although we have not been able to talk much, Mike has always given me a kind word every time I come back from battle with my team of cavalry. As odd as she is, I know her heart is in the right place,” he stood to look at the Black Knight before him, “I never had the opportunity to help her in return, so if these nightmares are plaguing her, it's only fair that I help you eliminate them.”

“I thank you, Prince Leo.”

“Don't thank me yet,” Leo started to write some notes on the table, “I'll see if I can at least glean some facts with Odin. I'll also see if I can convince Prince Alfonse and see if there any tomes of interest. We'll meet back here in three days provided nothing happens before then.”

The plan seemed thorough, “Understood.”

“In the meantime, keep watch over Mike, and make note of anything unusual she does,” Leo blinked, realizing the flaw in his instructions, “Or at least, anything that is out of the ordinary with her usual antics. You're always with her, so I doubt you'll have any trouble.”

“I will do what I can.”

“Excellent, I'll see you then.”

\- - - - - - -

Well, this is just great.

The Order is on the move through Múspell again, and who decided to show up to ruin their day? Or at least ruin their hour? Some powerful mage that has the ability to summon zombies – or Deadlords, as Seliph and Leif had called them – and has a very powerful dark tome full of awful darkness. That mage turned out to be Julius, Arvis's youngest son, possessed by that Loptous tome, which in turn held the soul of that dark dragon of the same name. Or was it Loptyr? Whatever.

Still. Great. Another demon tome. And here Mike thought the Naglfar from Lyon was ridiculous enough. Not even the Light's Blessings were enough to properly seal the darkness that plagued Lyon so, much to the grief of the Double-E twins. Still, it did give Lyon his state of mind back for the most part.

Arvis, who often told her of his grand dreams of creating a world where all would be equal, became shaken with horror when he saw what his son had become after recognizing what the cause of the Deadlords coming to be is. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to fight, Mike sent the Emperor of Flame back into the their temporary barracks and had the Black Knight watch over him. She would've had Sigurd guard him, but... having a child (or two, since Julia and Julius are twins) with the latter's wife, Deirdre, who also happened to be the former's maternal half-sister, can _kind of_ put a _damper_ into that.

Seriously, it would make it so awkward it would make one's sanity take two hits on a pea pod. ...Yeah, that made no sense, but still. In their defense, none of them knew about it at first. To Mike, it wouldn't even surprise her if such pairings are even a thing in the Jugdral world, or any of these worlds here in general. Royalty and those obsessed with quote-on-quote “blood purity” can be so weird at times.

Then again, Arvis didn't exactly have the best life, according to what little he confided her with. Having Loptous blood can do that, apparently. To Mike, a bloodline meant nothing to her, since she cared more about the person than some lineage. But in Arvis's case, if someone has too strong of such blood, it can unleash a monster, and from what Arvis has told her, he never wanted it, and he doubted that Julius would've wanted it, either.

In short, Arvis and Deirdre, and by extension those their family trees, have it rough; and anyone that became a part of that family tree had their lives go straight to hell, love or not. Sigurd, and by extension Seliph, were caught in the crossfire, doomed to never have a normal life once the two family trees came together.

...Whatever, enough rambling. Mike had sealed the Naglfar, and by extension Formortiis, the demon that possessed Lyon, the “Demon King” now in the Order as a man that can feel freedom for the first time. For all Mike knows, she can do it again for Julius and that Loptous tome. Maybe it'll cheer up the Jugdral families, as messed up as they are.

Then again, she isn't that much better. Still, capturing a demonic dark dragon? Oh ho... this will be very very interesting. The older Ike (whom she nicknamed “Paris”), Kaze, Olivia, and Fjorm can easily distract the Scion of Darkness. As soon as the remaining Deadlords were called upon in battle, Mike smirked.

“Mike,” she turned to Kaze, who had his dagger ready as the other three were prepping theirs, “Your orders?”

“Easy,” she jabbed a thumb at the direction of the armored units, “I don't expect you to be able to actually kill these things since they're sturdy as hell. But I know that your daggers can sap the energy out of them. Keep them annoyed and we'll have Paris and Fjorm ambush them from the trees. Paris, Fjorm, hide in those trees and finish them off after Kaze weakens them enough. Olivia, you're the bait, once you have their attention, run back here and support Kaze.”

“What about Julius?” The older Ike, nicknamed Paris, asked.

“He'll most likely be the first to attack. He might be a match for Reinhardt, but he won't be able to stand a chance against Fjorm, especially not with her Ice Mirror,” Mike smirked, “I want him alive, so we need to take that tome of his from him. Seliph told me that's his half-brother possessed by some dark dragon. So, basically, it's a repeat of Lyon, just much harder. I'll just sneak up on him like I did last time.

“But don't worry about me,” she smirked to the team before they could point out their worries, “I brought more than one Light's Blessing this time, so this demon's going down. Now who's ready?”

Later in the battle, while the other little minio- er, Heroes, yeah, were busy tackling and playing football with the Deadlords, Mike, with two Light's Blessings ready, crept behind Julius, whom was busy trying to recover from Fjorm's attack. If what Arvis said about him is true, then he wouldn't be able to pick much of a fight if it's just his fists. Typical of mages who only focus on spells and not unarmed training.

Oh well. It makes this easier.

Before Julius could do anything, Mike snatched the Loptous tome out of his grasp and swung it like a frisbee it to the side. She felt a tug from the tome, but forget that! Higher priority to the Julie boy! Grabbing one of the Light's Blessings, Mike quickly wrapped it around Julius's neck before slithering her arms over his and holding his head down.

“Unhand me, you vile vermin--!”

Mike refused to let go while Julius tried flailing his arms before-

Wait.

He stopped struggling? Stopped talking? Mike released her hold on Julius and saw that he is knocked unconscious. Odd. She wasn't being that difficult. With a spark of realization, Mike turned to the direction where the Loptous tome was thrown. Looks like she threw it farther than she thought. Curses.

She walked further down the forest to locate the tome, and she eventually found it lying in the grass, which started to wither slightly. Taking the other Light's Blessing from her pocket, Mike walked over to pick up the tome. As soon as her fingers wrapped around the tome--

**_YOU WHO HAVE NO RIGHT._ **

Strands of dark magic swirled about around Mike's arms. Her hands started to feel like they were burning as if touching a hot pot from a stove. Undeterred, Mike started with her task.

**_YOU HAVE EVERLASTING DARKNESS IN YOUR HEART._ **

Way to state the obvious, Loptous. Who doesn't? Are all dark gods or dragons like this? Whatever.

**_SURRENDER TO ME!_ **

Without delay, Mike wrapped the Light's Blessing around the tome itself, causing the darkness and the burning feeling to ebb away. The tome screeched in pain – how that's possible, she doesn't know, but won't care – before the tome finally went still.

Mike went to pick up the tome again, and noticed that her hands looked charred and burned. Odd. She can't feel her fingers moving, but at least it's not painful. Shoving the mild panic out of her mind, she grabbed the tome with minor difficulty, stuffed it within her coat, and started to make her way back to the Heroes. She can't keep them waiting.

“Hello, Summoner.”

The tip of a blade touched the side of her neck.

_Well, shit._

Keeping her panic under control, Mike turned her head to her unknown assailant, “Well, well, Laegjarn,” she grinned, although her lips were twitching, “To what do I owe the honor?”

Laegjarn scoffed, “Perhaps you recall my offer?”

“Unless you suddenly changed it last minute, if I surrender quietly, you won't harm me or something like that?”

“You remember correctly.”

This is bad. Bad. Bad bad _bad bad BAD!_ How did she get here?! _Why didn't anyone_ notice _her?!_ _Where_ are the _others?!_ Mike shifted her gaze to the general direction where Julius is, and mentally cursed to herself that she is too far away from the other Heroes to cry out for help. Even if she did, there's no guarantee that Laegjarn will let her do that. There are still some Deadlords left to fight, and with the Heroes busy, that means there's no help coming.

Still. Clever.

Laegjarn used Julius as a distraction to get to her. She must have known that it would leave Arvis, one of the strongest mages in the Order, vulnerable to the Deadlords, and most likely factored that she would leave the Black Knight to stay be him.

_Urgh..._

A clever enemy general she is. For once, Mike lost this game. What a terrible miscalculation to make.

And she hated it.

“...Very well.”

“A wise choice. Please disarm.”

Laegjarn moved her blade away from Mike's throat, but not by much. It's still enough to kill her if she made the wrong move. Mike reached to her hip and took out the Briedablik, clenched her fingers at the tip of the barrel, then tossed it away from her towards the direction where Julius is. She reached into her pocket and took out her smartphone and a small knife, a last resort tool to defend herself that was given to her by the Black Knight. She narrowed her eyes.

_KB..._

No time to think about the “if only this” and “if only that.” Slowly, Mike kneeled down and stabbed the dagger into the dirt. Turning on the smartphone, she set an alarm to activate within the next ten minutes that will play a song the Black Knight will notice and cranked up the alarm's volume. She doubts he'll ever find it, but a small chance is still a chance, and she'll take whatever opportunity she can get, even if the chances are equal to zero.

Laegjarn made no comment or action, so that settles that. Mike would rather not let Laegjarn destroy her smartphone. It was a present from her father, after all.

Placing the smartphone next to the dagger, Mike straightened up, “Anything else?”

“No,” the enemy general took hold of Mike's arm and started to guide her to a direction away from the battlefield.

Mike looked back to the direction where the battlefield is, and tried to fight off the grin that was forming.

Unfortunately, there is no one to restrain her madness now.

And she has e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g she needs.

_Hee hee~_

\- - - - - - -

“Why would she do something like this?”

Zelgius turned to Arvis.

“For as long as I can remember, anyone that has this cursed blood flowing into our veins are in constant danger of being killed,” Arvis clenched his fist, “If even one rumor about you having that blood goes around, it's all over. You'd be hunted for all your life. But why would Mike...?”

Zelgius had no idea what the Emperor of Flame is mumbling about. Still, he knew better to ask while Arvis is in that state. He hoped that Mike and the Heroes she took with her to handle the Deadlords were in good health. He would've gone with her, but Mike didn't allow it when she noticed that he most likely wouldn't stand a stance against some of the Deadlords' formations. So he has no choice by to rely on the Heroes Mike took with her to keep her safe.

But...

Why does he have a bad feeling about this?

“I need to thank her.”

Zelgius saw Arvis stand up and make his way outside the tent, “Lord Arvis, Mike has specifically ordered us to stay here.”

“She only ordered you to stay with me,” Arvis countered as he shoved the flap open, “So come with me if you don't want to violate that order. She should be back by now.”

Annoyed at Arvis's logic, Zelgius followed. Sure enough, the Heroes that Mike took with her were back, with an unconscious Julius in tow, but why do they look so panicked? It was then he noticed that Mike is nowhere in sight.

It can't be...

“Lord Arvis, with me,” Zelgius commanded as he started to approach the Heroes that came back, ready to demand the answers out of them.

\- - - - - - -

_I ask again._

_Fight back?_

_**→** No_  
_Yes_

_._

_._

_._

_No_  
_**→** Yes_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_No_  
_Yes_  
_**→** **KILL!!!**_

_The screeches of pain begin._

_..._

_No reaction._

_._

_._

_._

_Play again?_

_No  
_**→**  Yes__

_A grin of grim satisfaction._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What kind of game are they playing now?
> 
> _WHY ARE THEY NOT LEAVING?!_


	11. Broken...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Order is going to try to save Mike, but--
> 
> Oh.
> 
> _Oh no..._
> 
>  _Things are about to get_ violent.

_Heh... Hehahaha..._

_Ehehee... Ehahaha..._

_Well, well~. It looks like we're in quite the predicament~_

_You do know that we took the proper precautions for this, right?_

_We sure did~. We can easily crush them if we w-a-n-t-e-d~_

_Well, if that's how we feel, then I won't stop it._

_Shall we begin then~?_

_Way ahead of you._

_A sadistic grin forms twice._

_Time for the screams._

\- - - - - - -

 

While Arvis was busy interrogating the team that fought against the Deadlords, at a distance away Zelgius picked up the tile (a smartphone, he remembered Mike referring to it as such) that Mike carried with her and saw the dagger jutted down on the ground.

Mike has been kidnapped, and from the way the dagger was positioned, it was either of the two generals, Laevatein or Laegjarn.

He growled in frustration. Was the fight against Julius and the Deadlords a distraction to capture Mike?

With some difficulty, Zelgius took off his right gauntlet and managed to shut off the music from the tile – smartphone! – and put it into his pouch for safekeeping. After putting his gauntlet back on, he plucked the dagger from the ground. He had gifted it to Mike as a form of protection, even though chances are she wouldn't have been able to defend herself.

_If only I followed her...!_

Regardless, it was too late and Zelgius has no time to think on the “what ifs” or “if onlys,” it had only been around two hours since Mike was taken, and the sooner he finds her, the sooner he can rescue her. The team that Mike took with her had already received the verbal beatings from the other Heroes and the Askran Prince and Princess about their carelessness, but Zelgius wasted no time in trying to search for clues. Still, without a map of the general area...

He went back to the camp where the other Heroes are located and immediately saw them trying to get to work on calming down the rest, who are in a mass panic since Mike is now missing. Fortunately, from the looks of things, the male and female Robins, along with their respective child Morgans, quickly took action to become temporary tacticians in the meantime.

“Black Knight,” the male Robin noticed him first, his female counterpart overlooking the maps, “Any luck?”

“I found the Briedablik and two of her possessions,” Zelgius answered, “As we suspected, she has been kidnapped by Múspell forces. I believe one of their generals is responsible.”

“It must have been General Laegjarn. Commander Anna did mention that out of everyone from Múspell, she is the smartest out of them. She must have seen the tactic Mike used to take on Lyon and figured that she would do it again with Julius,” the male Robin gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes, “She's clever.”

“Clever she is, and if what Fjorm said is true, then Mike is safe from harm for the time being,” the female Robin spoke after pointing at a pathway on the map, “From what we've gathered, it looks like they went off in this direction. If we're quick enough, we should be able to rescue her by tomorrow at the earliest.”

Tomorrow?! That wouldn't be enough time to help her! Zelgius knew that Mike wouldn't be able to survive on her own that easily, and Múspell is a harsh climate, so she wouldn't stand a chance if the enemy forces do not treat her as a hostage. They need a plan, and fast. Otherwise, Zelgius will just have to forgo planning and go there by himself. Mike wouldn't approve if he did that, though... He does have his supply of Warp Powder, but without knowing the general landscape, he can't just teleport over to Mike first. He would have to find her first, then warp out, but then the side effects would make even him pass out, and he has no idea how Mike would react to it.

What is he to do?

“Any word from Múspell? Usually for kidnappings like these, they typically demand a ransom of sorts.”

Zelgius looked to the direction of the male Corrin talking, mentioning experiences he had back in his world. However, they didn't always succeed, as did the case between him and Azura had proven. Which means that Múspell will most likely take that route, especially if Surtr is at the place Mike is held. His killing of the eldest Nifl princess easily proved that.

The thought of Mike being killed the same way made Zelgius mentally shudder.

Sighing in frustration, Zelgius went back to the tacticians to see if he can help plan out the next move and hope for a rescue.

_Wait for me, Mike. I will see to it that you are safe after this._

\- - - - - - -

Maybe leaving the smartphone behind was a bad idea, Mike mused to herself.

The pounding in her head grew worse over time. She bit her tongue multiple times to keep her voice from speaking nonsense. Her fingers twitched in odd positions, some of them in ways that shouldn't be possible for her, yet it's happening, anyway.

After being captured by the Elder L Múspell princess, Mike is currently kept confined in a tent with two guards outside. Her right ankle bound with a heavy chain to keep her from running away. Thankfully, she's still in her usual clothes, and the Elder L lady saw no need to check her for additional weapons. Not that Mike had any for her to use, but that's beside the point...? Mike gave up trying to find the words that finish that thought.

Still, it's a pity that Laegjarn couldn't stay.

Mike loved trying to pick apart an enemy's mind. Those usually allow her to find out that she can be pretty convincing on her views. Maybe not agree with her, but at least it can be understood. Well, that, and talking to people by asking them questions, seeing their reactions to the words, or the gestures, or her occasional wild movement... Mike found it easy to gauge people's temperament that way. If they tolerated her movements, or politely asked her to keep it to a minimum in so-called “professional settings,” then they're a good person. If yelled at, then they're not worth her time.

Laegjarn isn't a bad girl, and Mike is pretty sure that Laevatein girl isn't, either. Once again, children being unable to defy their parent or parents when it comes to matters they do not agree to. Bleh. Mike has to wonder if Laegjarn is obeying that Surtr bastard either for her sister, or for the people. She hasn't seen much of the Múspell population outside the soldiers, so she really can't have that question answered as it is now.

There's also the attacks that Loki kept unleashing at-- FUCK THIS SHIT MIKE WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE SURTR GETS HERE AND KILLS US YOU KNOW HOW HE PLAYS HIS GAME AND SHIT AND--

 _RIGHT! Right!_ Right. First things first. _First_. Think calmly. _Calmly_. Yes.

She memorized the layout of the camp before she was kept confined in the tent. Not a large one. Laegjarn left the camp to report to Surtr, and will most likely be back in a day, two tops, if she's lucky. But again, this is Laegjarn, so with her intellect, she wouldn't be delayed, and certainly not Surtr. Mike has no idea where Laevatein is, but if she had to guess, then she's probably with her sister. Hmm. Dilemma.

Gotta focus on an escape route.

Although it took a few tries, Mike was able to poke a hole through the back of the tent, and saw a series of rocks with dried grass that could serve as temporary camouflage. ...If she had a ghillie suit that is. Gah. Still. Although she'd like to avoid it, she needed to see what's going on outside from the tent's entrance. Risking it, she gently placed a finger against the flap and slowly moved it to where she could see through a slit. She didn't sense any sudden movement, so that was certainly progress.

Maybe if she was more crazy, she could've just imagined opening a hole through space time. Or was it a hole in reality? Whatever, either worked on her end. Still, the fact that she couldn't conveniently awaken her reality warping powers by slightly opening a tent flap proved to be annoying. Wait, why did she even have that thought? Gotta focus on truths now, not ideals. QUIT IT MIKE JUST--

Shaking her head to move on from her jumbled mess of a mind, Mike checked the chain around her ankle, seeing that a random movement won't trip her. Satisfied, she peeked through the slit.

The two guards were in front of the tent talking to each other. Planning tactics? No... Upon listening further, they were actually discussing on wondering what their next meal is. Múspell's probably not exactly known for their ideal cuisine, huh? Still, the fact that they're not exactly paying attention to the tent is a good thing. That will make escaping easier. She just needs to buy herself some time. Yes.

A twisted smirked threatened to form with her lips. Thankfully, Mike – _CALM DOWN_ – restrained herself, and went straight to work. Reaching into her sleeve, she took out the three orbs – one green and two red – she was able to salvage from the Breidablik's barrel before Laegjarn captured her, so that was Step One. Step Two...

She stopped trying to restrain herself. Her smirk curled in a--

_Well... Heh heh._

They _really_ shouldn't have put the chain around her _right_ ankle.

\- - - - - - -

Meanwhile, much to everyone's relief, before night had time to fall, the Order got a possible break regarding Mike's location. Tana was flying around trying to find any sign of Mike, and while the Frelian princess didn't find her, she did locate a camp with Múspell soldiers hidden away behind some dead trees that made a makeshift forest.

So some plants can grow in Múspell. Odd.

It mattered little. The point is that there's a possible location to search, and if Mike is there, then Zelgius will be able to save her, or at least get closer to that goal.

Arvis felt that he is partially at fault that Mike had been taken, even though Zelgius is positive that Mike would've quote-on-quote “debunk” that statement. Regardless, the Emperor of Flame volunteered to help with the rescue effort, to that's a plus. Fjorm and the Vanguard Ike (why Mike calls him Paris, Zelgius has no idea) also volunteered to take part, with Nino running beside them. So far, so good, they can provide a distraction while Zelgius goes to save Mike.

“So what's the plan?” He watched the older Ike scan the map containing the information of the Múspell camp.

Zelgius didn't have the mindset to fully listen, but he forced himself to. From what little he gathered, the plan is to have the thieves do a quick infiltration to have a better layout of the camp, then have Wrys inflict the Slow status on the soldiers guarding the west side, which seemed the least protected. It would've given the Order the opportunity to take them by surprise, then find and rescue Mike in the resulting confusion. Of course, this meant it had to be done quickly, or else the rescue mission will be rendered impossible once the resulting situation is contained.

This is bad, since there are around thirty soldiers in the camp alone, and there may be more hiding, assuming a teleportation circle isn't in there. However, Tana didn't recall seeing one, so maybe that's a safe bet. Maybe. The meeting concluded, and Zelgius turned to leave to prepare.

“Black Knight, I need to talk to you.”

Zelgius turned and saw Prince Leo, looking very grim, if not disturbed.

“What is it?” He asked as he followed the Nohrian prince away from the debriefing.

“I'm sure you remember yourself asking me to look into dream spells?”

“Have you found one?”

“No, it's something much worse,” Leo grimaced as he held up a black tome with a simple pink trim, “I noticed that there was some strange magic lingering amongst the Order for a while now, even before you approached me. I found out what it is.”

“What kind of magic?”

“Before I answer that, I need to ask you,” Leo took a breath and recited the question, “Do you recall having nightmares about seeing ourselves getting killed by each other? Or seeing ourselves fight and attack our comrades or family?”

Zelgius froze, unable to answer at first. He thought about it, but this sounded like that dream where he saw himself kill that mage, but not enough to fill Leo's criteria, “No, but did someone else have it?”

“A fair few of us did, including my sister Elise. Lord Sigurd told me at how he saw himself as another person kill his own son, which traumatized him a little. Hector of Ostia said the same thing regarding his daughter's well being. Princess Tana saw herself and her brother Prince Innes fighting each other in a fight to the death. As for Elise...” Leo trailed off before continuing, “She said that she saw the whole Order fight and kill one another. It took the rest of my family all night to calm her down.”

That explained why Princess Elise seemed out of it a few days ago. With her out of commission, Mist had to take over as the healer alongside Wrys and the two Princesses, Sakura and Lissa.

When Zelgius didn't reply, Leo took it as a sign to continue, “Anyway, I looked into the nightmares, and I found that all of them had traces of a hex placed on them. I dispelled them immediately, of course, but after I studied the remnant magic, I finally found out what caused the nightmares.”

“What is it?”

Leo looked down at the tome with a grim expression, “They're nightmare hexes meant to attack one's mind when they sleep, giving them nightmares. If they're affected by the nightmares long enough, it can influence his or her actions even when they're awake. Some of them were aimed at us in the Order, but...

“Mike has _multiple_ nightmare hexes cast on her.”

That caused Zelgius's thoughts to come to a crashing halt.

“What?”

“She's been under constant attack by these nightmare hexes almost daily. I don't know exactly how long it's been going on, but I do know it's been at least five months. It's been going on even before I was summoned here. Honestly, I don't know how she's still sane, let alone even alive.”

This went on right before their war with Múspell?! “You mean these hexes could've _killed_ her?”

“If enough were cast at one person, then yes. The human body is not fully understood, but I do know that it is possible to die in your sleep if the nightmares made by the hexes kill you in your dream. From what I read, the brain will 'think' that you're dead and therefore shut itself down, actually killing you, when in reality nothing happened to you. I thought it was impossible at first, but then I remembered Mike telling me one time that the brain and the mind are two completely different things. With as many hexes cast on her, I'm surprised it hasn't killed her already. If those hexes are what's causing her to become more aggressive, we need to save her, and fast, and then dispel those hexes.”

“Or else she'll die for real.”

“Wait, what's this about Mike dying?”

Zelgius and Prince Leo turned to see Prince Alfonse and Princess Sharena rush up to them, having overheard the conversation, “So Mike is in danger from something other than being kidnapped?” The princess asked frantically.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Then we've got to save her before it's too late, we may not have much time left!”

“Sharena's right,” Prince Alfonse looked grim, “While I'm curious about these nightmare hexes you're talking about, there's more important issues right now. When we save Mike, I want to hear a full explanation from you afterward. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Leo nodded.

“We're about to move out to make the rescue, so let's go!”

\- - - - - - -

_“When did he get here?!”_

_Oh, dear. Chaos reigned in the Múspell camp~_

_“How did no one see him come in?!”_

_A silver sword caked with blood on one hand, a still body in another. More corpses lay in its wake._

_“Everyone, run!”_

_He ran fast. Unusually fast. Were his feet even touching the ground? Probably not._

_“It's the Black--”_

_The soldier was unable to finish that sentence._

\- - - - - - -

The found the camp within the hour, but before anyone in the Order could start their assault.

“What the?!” Commander Anna saw the scene with the others, “What's going on?!”

Sounds of people screaming in pain broke the silence. What is going on? Are the Múspell soldiers under attack by another party? Where is Mike?

Their thoughts were cut off when a Múspell soldier came running, fearing for their life, only to be struck down by their pursuer.

But the killer... Zelgius froze. It can't be... the other--

_He's real?! But wasn't it only a dream?!_

“T-Two Black Knights?!” Princess Sharena exclaimed.

The other Black Knight grabbed the Múspell soldier he just felled and dragged it back to the camp, ignoring the Order.

“Hey! Don't ignore us!” The Vanguard Ike charged through, which made Zelgius snap out of his brief stupor.

“Ike!” Zelgius roared, “Wait!”

The other Black Knight turned his head and aw Ike coming. He simply threw the dead Múspell against Ike, pinning him to the ground, then kicked the Ragnell away. He then walked away, off to hunt.

While the initial rescue team to check on Ike, Prince Leo came up with his horse, “Black Knight! Prince Alfonse!”

“What is it?” Alfonse turned to the Nohrian prince, while Zelgius didn't pull his attention completely away from the other Black Knight, who went away.

“It's the nightmare hexes I was telling you about! This place is so full of the hexes that the nightmares are now alive!”

“So that other Black Knight is a part of the hexes, too?” Arvis, who came near after burning one Múspell soldier that tried to escape, asked as his other teammates came up.

“Most likely,” Leo answered while looking through the black and pink tome, “Is says here that if the spells are concentrated enough, it can evoke not just the target's nightmares, but also anyone who enters its vicinity. We need to save Mike, but we have to be careful. We'll most likely have to conquer our fears when going through.”

“But where did these hexes come from?” Fjorm asked, worried.

“I imagine they were cast by dark mages Múspell has employed, but most of the hexes are on Mike. The fact that they're even active here means that she's nearby and alive, but I don't know what her status is. So we need to find her, and fast.”

Zelgius didn't need to be told twice. Knowing what could possibly lie ahead, he started to move forward, with a protesting Fjorm following.

Where did the other Black Knight go? Wasn't he just there?

Whatever. No time. He has to find Mike. He looked around, saw in the corner of his eye, a lone tent.

When some of the Heroes reached the tent, the two Múspell soldiers that were left guarding it were found brutally slaughtered and strangled, cut to pieces even. Inside the tent, Zelgius paused in shock at the gruesome scene. A prisoner's chain that looked like it was used as the weapon to strangle. The bloody handprints, the red writing on the fabric walls scrawled by bloody fingers...! 

_**dO yOU WaNT TO KILL Me?** _

_**Or befrIeND Me?** _

_**Or KILL Me aGaIN?** _

_**IN The EvIL wIThIN?** _

What in the...?! That better not be Mike's blood! If anything were to happen her, then what reason would he have to be here at all?! But the words... What do they even mean? Yet... they look familiar, but why?

Wait, he doesn't have time to think about that right now! Where is Mike?!

There is no sign of Mike's body, which gave Zelgius hope in that she is still alive. With that said, he can only think of two things that happened. Either someone else raided the camp and Mike managed to escape during the confusion, or that other party went for Mike as well. Honestly, neither of them bode well.

Mike...

Zelgius was about to leave the tent when he spotted something. Wait...

_The sound of people screaming... Images swirling... Dizziness..._

Zelgius snapped his attention to the tent's entrance. What? What just happened?

The dizziness returned, and Zelgius went down on one knee as more images swirled in his head. Memories he recalled seeing. Seeing through another person's eyes.

...Mike's?

Another image formed in his head. An afterimage of Mike appeared in front of him, in front of the bloody writing on the tent wall. Her back turned to him. Struggling against the dizziness, he reached out to her shoulder.

_She turned. A grin of insanity. Her eyes, partially hidden by her hair, not paying attention to anything._

_The chuckling of a murderous rage._

_The hexes that torment the mind._

The sound of a woman screeching in anger and pain broke through the dizziness. He could hear his teammates cry out.

The image of Mike disappeared, and Zelgius rushed outside, ready to take on the walking burning corpse that shuffled in their direction, a frosty presence covering the corpses in its wake. The Order had their weapons ready.

"Gu...!"

But Fjorm dropped hers.

“G...Gunnthrá?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did she do...?
> 
> It's gotten so bad in the story that even Zelgius's point of view is becoming scrambled like Mike's.


	12. ...or Unfixable?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Edit (30 Nov 2018): Fixed some spelling mistakes and a minor continuity error in the entire story so far._
> 
> Please be advised that this chapter contains some body horror.
> 
> I wonder how much further the madness will unfold...

_Oh? It looks like they're here~_

_They got here a lot sooner that I thought. Not good._

_Oh well~ We'll just have to adjust._

_Fair point. I'm ready to end this nightmare for today._

_As am I~ Ahahahaa~_

_Time for more screaming?_

_Sure is~!_

\- - - - - - -

“G... Gunnthrá?”

“ _Fj... orm...”_

Zelgius took Fjorm to stay behind him. The Nifl princess couldn't move, and her teammates could only watch.

The burning corpse, with small flames trickling out from her body, yet ironically left frozen steps as it shambled, slowly and shakily reached out in front of her. Her clothes were in tatters and looked mostly burned to ashes, but intact enough to be identified. Her skin covered with burn scars, her hair, disheveled, partially covering her face, her eyes mostly melted shut, her fingers looking like claws due to having unusually long and sharp nails coated with a red substance. Despite her horrific appearance, she still reached out.

“ _Fj... orm... Fj... F...jorm...!”_

Before Zelgius could point the Alondite at her, a thunder spell was thrown at the shambling corpse, hitting her hard enough to land on all fours. Looking at where the spell came from a Múspell mage that is still alive, most likely to avenge their fallen comrades.

Big mistake.

Screaming like bloody murder, the other Gunnthrá crawled unusually fast like a spider directly at her assailant before anyone could process what just happened. She caught the mage, who desperately tried to get away. Screeching, the other Gunnthrá thrashed and clawed, enough to reduce the mage into a shredded burnt and frozen mess. Seeing that the deed is done, the other Gunnthrá stood back up to her feet, turned to the Order that witnessed her onslaught, and reached out, red now coating parts of her body.

“ _F...F...Fj...orm...”_

Fjorm screamed and ran away.

“Fjorm, wait!” Sharena went after her, leaving Alfonse behind.

Zelgius kept his eye on the other Gunnthrá, as far as he knew, she's just a monster from the nightmare hexes that the Múspell soldiers had cast. Ironic in that they're falling victim to their own actions.

“ _Fj... Fj... orm...”_

Was she only capable of speaking Fjorm's name? Come to think of it, when the real Gunnthrá was killed, her last words were to her sister or Mike. When the other Gunnthrá saw that Fjorm is no longer in sight, she covered her face with her hands and hobbled forward, crying a sad wail. Zelgius was about to step aside, but the wailing pinned him in place.

“Can't move...!”

Zelgius tried to move, but couldn't. He could hear the protests of fear from the others behind him, claiming they couldn't move, either. The other Gunnthrá kept coming forward, crying. The air around them started to become thick with a light pink fog.

He thought back to the dream he had a few weeks back, where the other Black Knight also paralyzed him with something, and threatened to strike him down with the silver sword in hand. Unlike that time though, Zelgius is awake, and if the other Gunnthrá were to actually lay a hand on him, he could die and not be able to save Mike!

_Move, damn it!_ _**Move!** _ _**MOVE!** _

Before he realized it, he saw the other Gunnthrá struck down, his own Alondite pinning her to the ground through the abdomen, traces of ice leaking out from underneath her body and slowly crawling up the Alondite's blade. He could hear screams of protest blurring in the background before becoming quiet.

_When did I...?_

Doesn't matter! He had to get his sword back and find Mike. He gripped the hilt of his sword, and dizziness struck him. _The images of Mike running away from something passed his vision_... Shaking it off, he pulled the Alondite off the other Gunnthrá body, breaking the ice, and--

“ _Fj... orm...”_

She's still alive?

“ _F... Fj... Fj... orm... F... jorm....”_

“Where is Mike?” Zelgius narrowed his eyes and pointed the Alondite and the other Gunnthrá's neck.

“ _Fj... orm...” she mumbled, “F... Fjo... orm... Muh... Mi... ke...”_

“Where _is Mike?”_ he demanded, “I will _not_ ask again!”

She raised an arm, full of burn scars and the blood of the mage she killed earlier, and weakly pointed to a direction upward to her right.

“ _Muh... Mike...”_

Her arm went limp, and before Zelgius could blink, she faded away, a small dull green orb in her place. _What?_

He picked up the orb, which shimmered dimly. It looked like the orbs that Mike would have after doing a summoning session, so was this...?

No time to think about it right now. Tucking the green orb in his pouch, hoping that the other Gunnthrá doesn't try to return, Zelgius turned to his teammates, most of whom looked shaken up. Seliph was hyperventilating after being frozen, his father trying whatever soothing words to calm the boy down. _When did those two get here?_ He looked around for Arvis, who went to help the older Ike and his remaining teammates, probably to avoid the Chalphy royals, he figures. ...Is it just him, or did Zelgius think that some of his teammates are missing? Wait, where's Nino? Didn't she join them earlier?

Sadly, he didn't have time to properly look.

“Is everyone all right?”

“Yeah,” Alfonse tested his movements, “I can move again. That's a relief.”

“I think so,” Sigurd wrapped his arms around Seliph, who still has a hard time calming down, “Physically, that is,” he turned to Zelgius, “Was that Princess Gunnthrá of Nifl? I thought she was killed by Surtr.”

“What you say is true,” Zelgius answered, “However, that was not really her, only a phantom of the genuine article. She should not be a threat after this.” At least, he _hopes_  that's the case with the other Gunnthrá.

“We can only hope,” Sigurd turned his attention back to his son, “Seliph, it's okay. I'm here. You're safe. I'm safe.”

Seliph could barely form a coherent sentence, “F-fa... ther... Fa... father...”

“Seliph! It's all right!” Sigurd gripped Seliph's shoulders, “It's just the effects of the hexes here, they cause nightmares. Just take a deep breath and try to calm down. Ready? Breath four seconds...”

Zelgius couldn't help but feel a little envious of Seliph right now. Then again, his father hated him, so it's not like he ever experienced a parent's love. He isn't sure why that memory from so long emerged now, but he better not think about that right now. Saving Mike is the top priority.

“Are either of you able to fight?”

“I am,” Sigurd nodded without turning away from his son, “I'll be ready in a minute. Seliph, I need you to head back to the main camp and watch over the final defense lines. I'll be back once this is all over.”

“Fa... ther...! Fah...”

Wait a minute... isn't Seliph back at--

“ _Lord Sigurd! Prince Alfonse! Black Knight! Get away from him!”_

Seliph didn't get to react after Sigurd slashed at him with his sword and threw him aside, to the shock of both Zelgius, Alfonse, and-- wait, Sigurd?

“SELIPH!” Sigurd drew his sword at tried to stop his doppelganger, but it was too late, the other Sigurd beheaded Seliph without a moment's hesitation, “HOW DARE YOU!”

The other Sigurd easily kicked Sigurd aside. In the corner of his eye, Zelgius saw Seliph's body, and cursed to himself. First he failed to protect Mike, and now one of his fellow Heroes? He started to ready himself for an attack--

“ _Hold up! He's not the enemy!”_

Zelgius saw Prince Leo approach with a tome in hand, and helped Sigurd, still in shock at what just happened, to his feet.

The other Sigurd, now that Zelgius has the opportunity to have a closer look, saw him with clothing in the condition much like the other Gunnthrá's, mostly burned and covered with scars and soot with small flames constantly burning around himself, the arms blackened to a soot color. His face is almost recognizable. From the left side, that is.

“Hang on, I might be able to fix this,” Leo started casting a spell, and with a few flicks of his arm and fingers, as the pink fog faded away, Seliph's body started to turn red and fade into the ground, as if it absorbed him, “As I thought, it should've been impossible for Seliph to be here. Last I saw, he's back with the main camp aiding the defenses from the remaining enemies that escaped.

“So that- that wasn't Seliph?” Alfonse turned to to the impostor, who shambled nearby, leaving bits of flame near his feet.

“No, it was monster made by the hexes plaguing this place. Odin and I have been trying to dispel them one by one, but there's still so many. It may have tried to attack you if your let your guard down long enough. Some of us were already attacked by other fakes running around.”

“So first there's the Black Knight, then there's Princess Gunnthrá, who's supposed to be dead, and now there's a fake me right here,” Sigurd gripped his head, Alfonse minding his space, “And now my own son?! How many of us are impostors?!”

“From what I saw, not many,” Leo answered, “I did encounter some other impostors, but they faded as soon as I dispelled the hexes. I believe they were done by the mages here to confuse us.”

That seemed to fit, but... there has to be something more to it, right? “Any idea how many Múspell soldiers are left?” Alfonse asked.

“From what I saw, there's less than ten now. They're literally on their last leg,” Leo said, “Mike should still be here. Once we find her, I should be able to dispel the last of the hexes. Could I ask the two of you to cover me as we get closer? I know Seliph is safe, Lord Sigurd, so you can rest easy there. Odin's with him, so he can stop any hexes that come their way.”

“...Very well,” Sigurd nodded, a little shaken, but otherwise fine.

The other Sigurd started to hobble away, looking around, his own Divine Tyrfing dragging against the dirt in a sluggish manner. Why is he ignoring them now after killing the fake Seliph?

“Wait!” Sigurd went and grabbed at his impostor's shoulder (it feels so hot what the hell), who looked at him without turning his head, “Just who--”

The impostor turned to face him.

“--are you...?!”

“W-what? What happened?!” Alfonse paled at the sight, as did Zelgius.

The other Sigurd, fully facing them, only stared. He didn't react to the horrified responses from Sigurd, Alfonse, and Leo upon seeing the severe burns that cover the right side of his face and neck. His right eye is nonexistent, only revealing a large gaping hole with some skin melted in it. A part of his jaw is exposed due to a section of his cheek being burnt and melted away. He just stared. And stared. Finally, seeing that no one is moving, he gave the expression that could probably say he was tired of the situation, and started to shamble away.

“I don't think he's one of the phantoms from the nightmare hexes,” Leo said, “If he was, he would've disappeared after I dispelled it.”

Zelgius, still unsure, decided to try something, “Do you know where Mike is?”

The other Sigurd stopped and turned back to the group. He responded, so Zelgius figured it's an affirmative...?

“Do you know where Mike is?” He repeated.

To everyone's surprise, the other Sigurd nodded once, then started to move toward the center of the camp.

“Looks like we have to follow him,” Alfonse frowned, but began to follow the impostor.

Leo and Sigurd trailed after with Zelgius following from the rear. Without further to discuss, the four of them followed the other Sigurd, who shambled deeper into the camp.

_Fj... orm..._

\- - - - - - -

“ _Well, I didn't expect it to go like this~”_

“ _What, you talking crazy? You know it's always been like this.”_

“ _Not in these conditions, they haven't!”_

“ _Calm down, everyone, we need to think clearly here.”_

“ _Right, we have to get out of here first.”_

“ _Oh, look.”_

_Silence._

“ _Is this for real? You_ do _know that we can't be fooled by that, right?”_

“ _Hah, yeah. But only_ we _know that.”_

“ _Oh ho, now we're in for some_ fun~! _”_

\- - - - - - -

Welp, this didn't go exactly as planned.

After Mike got out of her hiding place, she observed her surroundings. She has no idea what went wrong, but all this pink and white and whatever the fuck kind of mist this is... is pretty much causing things to go wrong and downhill and wrong again enough to make a lawyer with a bird's name have “Wrong” as a surname. Damn it, why do these stupid analogies only make sense to her?! Does it even make sense to herself??? Probably not, or possibly so in the most convoluted ways in the history of all things analogy and obscure references.

Screw it. She's already succumbed to the madness. What's one more day of madness going to give you? Another. Damn. Day. Is what the madness gives you. She can only hope the people in the Order of Heroes haven't succumbed to it like she has. Because unlike her, they're not used to seeing realistic visions of death, horror, torture, murder, and despair on a regular basis. Mike thought Gunnthrá might have something to stop the nightmares, but with her now dead by Surtr's hands, that possibility is out the window.

A shame really, Mike really thought those awful dreams would fade away if she communicated with Gunnthrá enough through each other's dreams... or even break through the madness. The content of the nightmares themselves don't necessarily bother her, but it can be difficult to get a full night's sleep when your dreams are lucid enough for your consciousness to still have control and awareness. Normally, lucid dreams are safe to have, but the dreams caused by the madness that threaten to plague the Order? It has the opposite effect, and Mike isn't even sure how much longer she'll last.

_Yet... these nightmares are..._

The Black Knight, whom Mike calls KB from time to time, nearly succumbed to the madness without realizing it once before, and she barely managed to save him that time. Some of the other Heroes she overheard mentioned about nightmares that scare them, and it's only a matter of time until they succumb, too. If she slips up again, even she wouldn't stand a chance. If she falls, then the Order will fall shortly after.

Thus, she has two choices: either she is to stop the chaos and discord and destroy it, or sever the contracts between her and all of the Heroes she accumulated and release them back to their homes, while risking them to fall victim to another contract forced on them from either Veronica or Múspell. If she doesn't do one or the other before she falls, then there will be--

_**Do not think about the evil within us right now. Just** _ **focus** ** _, Mike._ **

The three spare phantoms she salvaged from the Briedablik have definitely gone far and beyond what she needed them to do. She did wish she had a blue orb that had someone like a phantom of Tana or the female Corrin to complete a typical four in a team, to have complete coverage over strengths and weaknesses, but with Laegjarn at her back at the time, she didn't have the chance to retrieve a fourth orb. At least they're not all the same color...

Still, she was leaning more on having two of them being a distraction, while the third takes her and flees back. Then again, they're not exactly the brightest tools in the shed, but she still cares about them. Of course, seeing the other phantoms, those she didn't summon, appear and attack and block off her path, claiming they're here to save her...

_What a **joke**._

Mike didn't bother looking at the shocked expression of the fake Nino she stabbed in the face (for, what, the fifth time?), before it disappeared into a red mist. If these phantoms think that she's an easy target, then they've got another thing coming. What, were they trying to scare or “betray” her into despair? _Hah!_ They'll have to do better than that. She already went through that multiple times back home and in her own madness, so she _long_ knew the rules for that game. Her phantoms are also capable of telling on who is friend and who is foe like she can despite the madness plaguing her dreams and later, her active conscience.

Killing those two Múspell guards near the prison tent with one of her phantoms and using their blood to write song lyrics for the first two lines, and then use the last two lines to reference one of her favorite horror games might be a bit much, but... it was just _too amusing_. Hopefully that will scare them just a smidge. _Heh_.

Anyway, moving on. _Gotta_ _ **focus**_.

Escaping by running away from the camp in a random direction is a no go. _Yet_ , that is. She didn't have anything that could give her a sense of direction, so if she was stupid enough and actually picked a direction, then she could've either walked back to the Order, or walk to Múspell itself, or to a direction that didn't lead to either, but could either have the Order or Múspell soldiers meet with her. It didn't take a student who knew probabilities and statistics that those odds and chances are too risky, even a typical dunce would've realized it would be a bad move without doing the proper research. Well, most.

Not having much of a choice, Mike followed the tents. Some were simple rest tents, and checking them didn't yield any good results. One had a deerskin containing liquid, but one whiff of the stuff immediately told her that it was some kind of alcoholic drink. Some kind of fire wine, maybe? Is that even a thing in her home country? Or anywhere on Earth for that matter? Or for Múspell? Whatever, so much for water. Who the hell goes off to battle with only alcohol to drink?! Don't they know that most (if not all) alcohols quickly leads to dehydration which, last she checked, basically spells death in a hot climate such as this?! Whatever.

The other tents held similar results. Some held basic camping supplies, but no sign of a map yet. She took a bag from one tent that held some basic supplies. A knife, some rope, flint for a fire (does Múspell even need that?!), and a handful of arrows, but no bow. Then again, the bow in the tent was broken in half and stained red, so one of her phantom Heroes probably killed whoever the archer was and dragged off the body to... wherever they take it to... whatever they do. She didn't bother trying to figure that out. Unlike some people, she has priorities.

The mess hall tent couldn't really be called a mess hall. It looked clean as a whistle. Or at least to an extent that isn't completely sterilized in a typical kitchen in her homeland. Was this tent even going to serve a meal of any kind to begin with? Probably not, but it still wouldn't hurt to check, which she did, and didn't find anything by a small bag of burnt meats (beef or...?) and... something black and powdery? Yeah... _totally_ skipping dinner for tonight. Note to self, always assume that everyone from Múspell are terrible cooks unless stated otherwise.

Screw it.

Supply tent? Found some weapons, but most of them are too large and heavy for her to take, and with her right leg, which is close to breaking, impossible to even fight with. Great. There are some tomes, but with her being unable to use magic outside the Breidablik, they're useless to her.

Wait, hold up. Tomes.

Mike reached into her coat and found the Loptous tome still in the back pocket. How the hell did Laegjarn not notice this? Or rather, why the actual f-bomb did any of these soldiers not check her for weapons to begin with?! Well, granted, the Loptous tome would be dangerous for others to hold even with the Light's Blessing holding it in place, but...

Mike blinked with a frown of realization.

Then grinned. Smirked.

“Pfft... Hee hee~...”

_These nightmares... are **thrilling**._

Her madness took hold once again, and with effort, she started to make her move, the red orb in her hand pulsing. The Order protected her for so long, and now...

_Múspell may have an army, while Loki has her magic and her trickery. But me? I have..._

\- - - - - - -

How did this all go so wrong?

As Zelgius and his teammates got closer to the center within the pink mist, he could've sworn that the camp is appearing to be way bigger than it's supposed to be. The other Sigurd isn't even moving that slowly, so why does it seem like they're not making any progress? He didn't receive any word from the rest of the Order, either. He isn't sure whether to be mildly concerned or outright panic. Doing the latter wouldn't solve anything, so he went from mildly concerned to very concerned.

The massive abomination made from the corpses of the Múspell soldiers that piled and stiched themselves together through unknown yet supernatural means, and then attacking Zelgius and the others, didn't help. And the constant _laughter_ the monster kept cackling... he doubted it will ever leave his mind.

...Is Mike even around here anymore?

It was supposed to just be a simple rescue mission. Just what kind of nightmare hexes are even causing these?! Not even Prince Leo is fully capable of fully stopping the hex! There isn't much time! If he doesn't find Mike soon, then she might die from the strain she endured for so long!

The other Sigurd dropped the shambling he originally exhibited and started to hack and slash at the abomination, giving Zelgius and the other precious moments to rest. Behind Zelgius, both Alfonse and Sigurd were down on their knees, trying to catch their breath after getting hit by the abomination's club-like arms. Leo is working tirelessly on finding a counter curse that could stop the pink mist, and hopefully the corpse monster. Granted, Leo had to fire a spell or two from the Brynhildr to help the other Sigurd keep the monster at bay, but there's only so much even he can do.

The laughter kept _ringing_.

_The dizziness kept returning. The sounds of a heart beating loudly. Everything blurred around him. Waves of... something... moved about._ Zelgius isn't really sure on what's real or what's not, anymore. He tried to clear his head and focus, but to no avail. All of a sudden, dizziness ceased, the mist cleared, and the heartbeats stopped, but-- Wait a minute... Where are the others?! Was he teleported to a new location without realizing it?

“I-is this even _possible?_ ” Zelgius asked to himself, incredulous.

Of course it's possible, he mused with annoyance, otherwise this wouldn't have happened.

Fortunately, he still has his sword, along with his pouch and everything in it, including the green orb that other Gunnthrá left behind. He took out the green orb, which seemed to shimmer not as dully before, was she resting? He wondered if the others are able to hold their own against that monster. Hopefully the other Sigurd can defeat it with Prince Leo's help.

Placing the orb back, Zelgius started to analyze his surroundings. He can tell he's still in the Múspell camp, but it's strangely quiet. No sounds of people screaming in fright or in pain, no laughter ringing, or even the sound of wind. He could see some corpses, some of them being Múspell soldiers, some others he didn't recognize.

Zelgius walked to one of the corpses he didn't know, and attempted to examine it. It's obviously a male, but he didn't look like anyone from his world, so Zelgius assumed it was someone from another world instead. He's dressed like a dark mage, but looked much more ornate judging from the round circular crown and a mask that covered half his face, which could mean this was a high ranking one of some sort. The wound that killed the dark mage, however, is something to feel some concern over. It looked like he was killed in the same fashion as the mage that the other Black Knight killed in the dream Zelgius had a few weeks ago. Like the mage in the dream, this one has also been cut into two, their eyes wide open with terror.

Did that mean... the other Black Knight is nearby? Is Zelgius dreaming? He pinched himself, and felt some pain, so as far as he's aware, he is awake, but...

Where is everybody?

Zelgius turned when he thought he heard something. He took off his helm and strained to listen.

_They thought they could keep me down, hold their breath and watch me drown, but all they did has pushed me higher._

Is that someone singing? He listened, but now it seems like there are two singing different songs, neither of them he recognized. Are they songs from Mike's world?

_They've been looking for you, we're on to you. Darkness is my signal! So what do you to me, and what do me to you?_

**The sound of a blood curdling screech.**

\- - - - - - -

_You and the Order have done a lot for me, KB, but now it's time to leave it to the professionals._

_Shall we get going, my Jet-Black General?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zelgius is beginning to lose it. Or is he? As far as he knows, he's still sane.
> 
> Is Mike even a damsel in distress at this point? Probably not in her eyes, but...
> 
> Those phantoms really like to kill mages, don't they?
> 
> _Also, before anyone comments about this, the last lyrical section at the very end? That's not a typo._


	13. Real or Delusion?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Be warned that there will be a lot of mind screw here, so if there's anything that doesn't make a lot of sense, don't think too hard on it.
> 
> This IS Mike, after all.

Zelgius, after putting his helm back on, moved away from where he was as fast as he could before coming to a stop.

Fortunately, he didn't see any monsters emerge from the screeching, but he knew that it would be a bad idea if he remained where he first... appeared here? Not knowing what else to do, he started to follow the two singing voices, which had faded enough to where the lyrics were unintelligible. It didn't sound like Mike's, but with nothing else to guide him on where to go, he didn't have much of a choice. As he followed, he could actually hear music playing, but it wasn't just music. It's the same kind of music that Mike would play on her smartphone, where it had multiple sounds playing in a mismatch of ways, or play instruments that didn't exist in his world. Music played through... “digital synth” he recalled correctly.

Maybe this is one of the songs Mike has on her smartphone?

Curious, Zelgius took out the smartphone and attempted to turn it on. It took a few tries, but he managed to do it after taking a gauntlet off. Examining it, with his bare fingers, he recalled the motions Mike used when inputting the key code needed to unlock it. If he was right, it was...

“9... 3... 5, 4, 4, 8... 7?” He read the numbers and pressed the arrow.

_**BOOM.** _

The sound was sudden, as was the shock wave that accompanied it, disorienting him as the music stopped. Zelgius looked around, now he's in a hallway of some sort, littered with doors. What just--

Did the phone do this?! And where did his armor and sword go?! At least he has his clothes beneath the armor on, and he still has his pouch that contained the green orb he picked up, but it still didn't provide comfort. He hoped no one in the order sees his face...

The phone then vibrated to show that it is somehow unlocked, but Zelgius didn't recall the home screen being like what it is now. In the few times he saw Mike use it, it would have a bunch of squares neatly lines together in a grid, but now? It only showed what looked like a map of the place and some text next to an icon showing a pink diamond, as if it's talking, which said:

_You can't defend from the animatronics in this section. You better find a place to hide and be quiet as you make your escape._

Animatronics? What is that supposed to be? Some kind of monster? The text mentioned something about needing to escape, but Zelgius came to save Mike, not his own skin. Until he finds her, he will not make any attempt to get out of this nightmare. If she endured it for months, then he can endure it for even longer. This is all to save a friend. A friend who is willing to _talk_ to him. A friend who even wanted to _protect_ him.

He wanted to return the favor.

The phone suddenly gave out a quiet alarm sound as an exclamation point appeared on the screen, a red dot slowly approaching the green arrow on the center. New text appeared next to the pink diamond.

_You must find somewhere to hide. Now! Hurry or they will catch you!_

Confused, Zelgius looked up, and heard what seemed to be footsteps. Very heavy footsteps. If the phone's text is serious, then he might not stand a chance if he went in blind, and with his sword gone, he wouldn't stand a chance. Not taking any chances, Zelgius sneaked around the hall for a potential hiding spot while checking the map, noticing that it tracks his position. Convenient, if anything.

The more Zelgius explored, the more confused he is about the place. It didn't look like a castle, and the location is too big for it to be some shabby house. The walls looked rather pristine, and some finely made furniture decorated some of the rooms. Although there are some pieces that looked strange, such as how a sofa is positioned in front of a wall that had something shaped like a blank landscape portrait with nothing but black hung from it. Maybe Mike would know? Her world is no doubt vastly different from his.

The heavy footsteps were drawing closer. Without any way of protecting himself, hiding is his best option, but where...? There! He found what looked like a large and simple wardrobe and opened it, thankfully empty. It's definitely has enough space for someone as tall as him. So he could hide in here...

The footsteps were louder now, and without a moment's hesitation, he climbed in and closed the wardrobe's doors. There are slits in the door at an eye level that allow him to see what's outside, but he decided to move back a bit so that way whatever is outside it wouldn't be able to see him as easily. He placed a hand over his mouth to stifle any sounds of his breathing. Zelgius then heard the sound of a door bursting open with great force. From the looks of it, the door is probably nearly ripped it off its hinges. The footsteps entered the room, and Zelgius stood still.

 _Let's see who you are_.

The source of the footsteps eventually entered his line of sight as a red... brown... thing, and Zelgius didn't know what to think. It didn't look human (or beorc), for one, and it had short pointy ears akin to an animal. Some kind of cat or something? Zelgius couldn't risk seeing it in more detail if he moved to get a closer look, so he remained still.

Upon hearing the inhuman guttural growls, he is grateful that the phone warned him ahead of time. He definitely did not like the sound of that. If he didn't know any better, the monster outside sounds... hungry.

“ _I'll find you, little one!”_

The thing can speak? Little one? To Zelgius, the monster is only about as large as he is in terms of size.

“ _I just want to kill you-- I mean, play!”_

Unless he's not what the monster is after?

“ _AHA!”_ Zelgius jumped slightly at the monster's yell and the footsteps moving forward, _“THERE YOU ARE! COME AND LET ME HAVE AT YOU!”_

...It's leaving?! Then this means that it's chasing someone else? Zelgius waited for a moment before coming out of the wardrobe, noticing the large footprints that were shaped like a large animal's. A bear or something? Then again, this whole place, or the whole camp, has been crazy with the nightmare hexes. For all he knows, he's probably near, if not right in, the very center of it all. The phone let out a small sound, prompting Zelgius to check it.

_The exit is not far if you follow the map while the animatronics are distracted. If you can successfully evade the animatronics by hiding, then you can get out with no problem._

_If you wish to explore this section more, we cannot stop you. What are you waiting for? Don't you want to save her?_ Another text popped up, but instead of a diamond, the icon that appeared below it is a blue spade.

 _Oh, calm down. But seriously, be careful not to become a cat, for curiosity is known to kill it, and in this hell dream, satisfaction will not bring it back._ The diamond again.

Zelgius blinked. A hell dream? And there's more than one of those monsters? Those animatronics? The phone made another sound. He nearly dropped the phone upon reading the next text, next to an icon showing a yellow heart.

_But you're not known to do that. Right, KB?_

Only one person called him by that nickname. This time, the text feels different, yet...

“...Mike?”

 _If you get out of here. We can attempt to guide you to where she is, where we are._ The diamond replied. _Please, get her – get us – out of this nightmare. They're turning against us. We can only hold on for so long, the music can only do so much._

That made him pause, since the text implied such, “Who are you, then? And what is this place?”

The diamond answered. _We are not quite the “Mike” you wish to save, KB. She's further up. If you trust us, you can potentially save her and wake her – wake us – from this hell. She's still active, but her – our – actions are becoming more drastic. As for where you are, you are inside the source of the nightmares. If you leave this section, you may get your equipment back. Destroy the nightmare, and the both of you, and we, should wake._

A text from a white club then appeared. _Or so we believe, it's quite the gamble~ Hee hee~_ _♥_

Zelgius didn't like the sound of that. A total of four different people messaging him? How did Mike even use this? The pink diamond, the blue spade, and the yellow heart seem like they could be trusted, but the white club... wasn't Mike acting--

 _As much as we implore you to ignore the previous message, she is correct in that this is a gamble._ The diamond replied again. _The animatronics are still distracted, so there's still time. If you look at the map, there's an icon that indicates a green square. That's where you need to go. We've managed to unlock the door, so just go there if you don't plan on exploring this section. We will message you again once you leave. When you do, follow the music._

_We know we're asking much from you, KB, but please, save her. Save us._

The footsteps were returning, and Zelgius didn't need to be told twice.

Keeping an eye on the map, he moved through the halls as quickly and quietly as he could, making note of the odd furniture here and there. If not for the fact that the place is haunted with nightmares, one could feel living like a king here, for it's definitely not the home of a typical peasant. He also looked around for any items of interest, but didn't see anything yet until he saw a nightstand holding a lamp with a small key next to the light fixture.

He isn't sure what to think of it, but Zelgius snatched up the key and put it in his pouch. For all he knows, he could use it to a lock somewhere around here. The footsteps from the animatronics are still heard, but upon hearing another series of footsteps, his blood went cold.

There are more than one?! So by the “animatronics,” the messages meant there are multiple of them to keep track of!

“Damn it!” Zelgius quietly cursed to himself and went forward, following the map and keeping an eye for anything suspicious. Without his armor and sword, he wouldn't stand a chance. If anything, the lack of armor is what's allowing him to hide, so it's a double-edged sword. Still, he didn't have time to dawdle. He may as well get out and reach the exit in order to save Mike, and end the nightmare once and for all. The map showed that there isn't much distance left, so he kept moving.

“ _ **THERE YOU ARE!”**_

The footsteps intensified, and Zelgius made a run for it. He didn't know what would happen if he got caught, and he didn't want to find out. Footsteps from behind, from the left, and from the right. There's three?! Wait, there's one more ahead of him?! He looked around while running. A way out. There has to be a way out.

The floor beneath him gave out and Zelgius fell into the whiteness below. He landed on something soft, but couldn't identify it. It felt like liquid. Oh. There is liquid all over the place. All white viscous liquid covering most of him and everything as far as the eye could see. _Ew_... He checked the phone, slick with the white substance, and saw that the map is gone. The phone then started emitting some sounds.

“ _Well, well, KB. I didn't think you'd get this far.”_

Is that Mike talking? But where is she? “Mike, where are you?” he asked to the phone, “I'm on my way, so hold on!”

“ _I'm sorry, KB, but I cannot let you end this nightmare. Not yet. If this nightmare ends, the Order will be in danger.”_

“We have to stop this, Mike,” he argued, “We can't go on without you. We can't go on like _this_ until we defeat Surtr, and we need you for that. This place is killing you, Mike! You know that!”

The phone is silent.

“ _...I am well aware. I promise that all of you will be safe once this is over. But if I let go now, the Order will succumb to a mass nightmare, and become unable to tell the difference between dream and reality, mind and matter. In other words, they will hallucinate these exact same nightmares, and unlike me, you and they cannot tell the difference on which is real and which is fake. Not even Leo and Odin's dispelling will be able to stop this, all they can do is delay the inevitable._

“ _If I let go now, all of you will kill each other thinking you are the very same monsters that plague this hell dream of mine.”_

Zelgius nearly dropped the phone. Just what did Mike mean? The Order could've potentially killed each other without Múspell doing anything?

“ _I'm sure you know what Loki wants more than anything, right? I don't know about you, but I will not let her harm any of you through these nightmares, even if the harm comes from your own hand. I will take on these nightmares meant for all of you like I have been all this time, so it's for the best that you leave before you succumb to the evil within me._

“Mike!”

“ _Gunnthrá, take him away from here.”_

The green orb that Zelgius picked up earlier flew out from his pouch and materialized into the shambling corpse of Gunnthrá that appeared earlier, the flames doused by the white liquid as the area around her started to freeze. She looked up at Zelgius, and lifted an arm, mumbling something. He didn't want to, but he found himself approaching her.

Gunnthrá is crying, the liquid white tears leaking from her eyes showing that she did not want this.

Zelgius clenched his teeth. Couldn't there be a way to bypass Mike's orders without leaving? She only told Gunnthrá to “take him away from here.” So then, if one were to define “here” in the vaguest of terms...

“You want to help Mike, correct?”

Gunnthrá stopped wailing to look at him and nodded, the tears still falling, _“Muh...Mike...”_

“Then help me save her. _Please_.”

Gunnthrá dried her tears and straightened her gait, then held out her hand.

Zelgius reached out, and as soon as their fingers touched, the whiteness rumbled and the both of them fell into the pitch black below before landing again. He looked down at himself, and saw that his armor is back on his body, the Alondite at his hip, much to his relief.

A cackling coming from a voice all too familiar ran out, and Zelgius turned to the source.

Behind him... is Mike, a white melting substance covering her face, and behind her is the other Black Knight, his armor damaged, his silver sword held high, and behind him...

“...How many demons has Mike endured all this time?!”

\- - - - - - -

Mike grinned. Smirked.

A chuckle. A laugh. A cackle!

The knife in her left hand stained with black, her right hand blackened by the dark tome that held Loptous, her right leg crumbling within her clothes. Corpses of the enemy left in her wake in this forsaken realm.

They can't run away. They won't get away from this madness. They will not get away from her. They will not get away from _it_. They cannot get away from this Tartarus that Mike created with her own hands. This abyss of deep despair and fear, one that _thrills_ and _chills_ and _**kills!**_

“ _ **YOU WHO HAVE EVERLASTING DARKNESS IN YOUR--”**_

“Gyahahahahahahahaaa! Cut the bullshit, Loppy-lizard. You know very well that you can't do anything to a person without any so-called holy blood!” Mike cackled, her madness intensifying, “But if it's life you're wanting to take, I'm already giving some of it to you! Ahahahahaaa!”

“ _ **YOU HAVE MUCH EVIL WITHIN YOUR HEART, MORTAL.”**_

“Who doesn't, Grimmy?!” Mike cheerily replied, tapping the blackened knife against the walls, leaving streaks of the substance in place, “You three are not having as much fun in this nightmare as I am!”

“ _ **IN ALL MY YEARS, I HAVE NEVER SEEN ONE AS HEARTLESS AS YOU.”**_

“Oh, come now, Formorty! Of course I have a heart!” Mike rolled her eyes in a good-natured way, “I wouldn't be alive and breathing if I didn't!”

“ _ **YOU COULD'VE DONE SO MUCH MORE, YET YOU PROTECT THESE WORMS IN THIS ORDER OF YOURS?”**_

“Grimmy, dear! I gotta follow the Code, you know!” she sang as she slashed at her current victim, not caring about the screams.

“ _ **YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN'T KEEP US SEALED FOREVER.”**_ Loptous declared, **_“YOU SEALED US WITHIN YOURSELF WITH THOSE CONTRACTS ALONG WITH THE NIGHTMARES THAT WOMAN INFECTED YOUR ORDER WITH. EVEN A MORTAL LIKE YOU WILL DIE WITHIN A MATTER OF MINUTES AFTER TAKING SO MANY UPON YOURSELF.”_**

“Duh! Of course I do!” she cackled greedily, “Why do you think I kept my fail safe?”

“ _ **YOUR WHAT--”**_

Mike's head fell down from her neck, the madness never leaving from her smirk.

\- - - - - - -

“MIKE!”

Zelgius rushed to Mike's fallen form, the other Black Knight just standing there as the demons disappeared. Cradling her headless body, Zelgius looked up at his impostor.

“Why?!”

His impostor only stared, not giving a single reaction to anything. Zelgius looked back down, and nearly dropped Mike's body, which started to decay and dissolve into black liquid before fading into the pitch black around them. He looked around for her head, and saw that it too had dissolved. He looked for Gunnthrá, who remained beside him, her stature shambling, her face reduced to a crying mess.

“Why did you let her die?”

“ _Muh... Mike...”_ Gunnthrá stuttered tearfully, pointed at the other Black Knight with a shaky hand.

Zelgius looked back at his impostor, who still stood still. He stood up, and gripped at the Alondite, if it's a fight his impostor will want, then a fight is what he shall grant. The other Black Knight finally made a movement, and lifted his silver sword at Zelgius.

“ _Muh... Mike...! N... No...!”_

The impostor dropped his sword, letting it sink to the pitch black below before walking forward to Zelgius. Zelgius tensed, if his impostor isn't going to use his weapon to fight, then--

His impostor fell forward, prompting Zelgius to catch him, but it knocked him off balance as a booming sound broke out in the distance. His head is ringing and his sight became distorted.

_Why did you ignore me?_

A shock wave startled Zelgius awake. He looked around, and saw that he is back at the Múspell camp, the air around him strangely still. He could hear the sounds of other people yelling something. Something about putting out the fires and finding...? He then noticed that the pink fog, the white void, the pitch black darkness, is all gone. Just what was all that? For all he knew, it may have been all just a dream, where the laws and beings that exist made no sense.

_Do you not know what you've done?_

Zelgius realized that he couldn't fully remember what he was doing. He remembered seeing Gunnthrá and an impostor of him, along with evading... something, but couldn't completely process it.

_I couldn't hold it in any more..._

“We found them! The Black Knight has found Mike!”

Zelgius snapped to the direction where he saw Prince Alfonse shout out to the Order. When did...? Wait, he found..? He looked down, and in his arms is Mike, unconscious and injured, but breathing. Two orbs, one green and one red, lay on the ground. Beside the orbs lay a tome of red and purple with a red diamond on the center with a Light's Blessing wrapped around it.

He stood up, “I have her. She's alive.”

“Good,” Alfonse nodded, “We better get out of here.”

“What's the situation outside?”

“All the soldiers that were in the camp are dead, whatever those hexes they used were, it worked against them. Prince Leo and Odin have dispelled everything, so we shouldn't be running into any more monstrous forms of ourselves again anytime soon. Also...” Alfonse pulled out a small red orb from his pocket, “The impostor that impersonated Lord Sigurd is gone. He disappeared into this orb after the mist faded.”

“I see,” Zelgius let out a sigh of relief. This whole rescue mission went from something simple to downright insane. As far as he's concerned, he decided not to think too hard on what he just went through to get to Mike. Something else then came to mind, “Where is Lord Sigurd?”

“He's back at the main camp. After seeing that phantom of Seliph get killed, he freaked and wanted to go back to check on him as soon as he could. I've never seen him look so scared.”

“So everyone is accounted for?”

Alfonse nodded, “There is one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“Loki. She came and told us that she's responsible for these nightmare hexes,” Alfonse narrowed his eyes, “She said something about how Mike foiled her 'little attempt at having some fun' before leaving. I don't know what exactly she meant by that, but hopefully we'll have some answers once we head back to base.”

Zelgius looked down at Mike, who didn't stir. Here she is. _Safe_. His grip tightened slightly, and looked at the orbs. If it hadn't been for them, Mike probably wouldn't have been saved.

“Get those orbs, Prince Alfonse. And be careful when getting that tome.”

Zelgius did not want to lose his only friend here.

Then, to his horror, with a snap--

\- - - - - - -

…

…

…

…

“ _Ah, you must be my newest patient.”_

_Mike looked up at the man in the desk in front of her, brows furrowed in apprehension and confusion, her head twitching slightly. As far as she knew, she didn't want to be here. She looked into this doctor before coming here, and read multiple articles at how he's an eccentric, a lunatic, to some. At how he interviewed people who had or would have become criminals or serial killers. Mike hasn't committed any crimes, nor has she purposefully harmed anyone aside from the assault that threatened her stepmother the year before. Maybe that's why she's here? She only came at her father's pleading, saying that this would help her for real this time. How would it? The two previous attempts were failures, what's the point of changing doctors again?_

“ _You're probably wondering why you're here with me, after the ones before have failed you.”_

_She leaned back and blinked. Not wanting to argue, she nodded._

“ _Well, I can't speak_ for _them, but I'd have to guess that they were trying to make this all... 'go away.' Is that right?”_

_Lips stretched thin, Mike nodded._

“ _Well, I'd say it's a load of bunk in this special case. Hah!” the doctor scoffed and took out a book from a drawer on his side of the desk, “Now, I'm going to have you take a look at these images, and you tell me what it is that_ frightens _you,” he set it down in from of Mike, the pages opening, “...or_ allures _you.”_

_She glanced at the book for a moment, then raised her eyes at the doctor, a brow rising. The pages she saw so far only held some ink drawings. Nothing abstract so far, the page on the left has the head of a clown that looked a little monstrous while there is the head of a scarecrow looking like a comic book super villain on the right. What's so scary about those? Or alluring for that matter?_

_But... they do look rather..._

“ _They're both... thrilling. I think.”_

“ _Choosing a third option, eh? Why do you think they're thrilling?” the doctor smiled._

“ _I don't know how they're supposed to be scary. Or attractive.”_

“ _Excellent, you're doing fantastic,” he praised, “Now then, I ask that you flip the pages, and you tell me how they make you feel. Whether they make you happy, or sad, or scared, or thrilled, or chilled,” he planted his hands on the desk and leaned close to Mike's face, startling her, “...or killed?”_

_What the hell?! Mike blinked, her face in an exasperated grimace._

“ _I'm kidding on the last part, of course!” the doctor sat back on his seat, giving Mike some breathing room, “But back to the matter at hand, why not see if we can get to the bottom of the behaviors you have that those around say is strange.”_

“ _You're the one who's strange,” Mike countered, “I doubt most patients would allow you to come close to them like that.”_

“ _Well, fortunately for you, I'm happily married to my husband. I don't intend on pulling affairs after a good twenty years of being together.”_

_Mike deadpanned. “...I don't know what's more ridiculous. The fact that you just told me you're into guys or that you considered having an affair at one point during those twenty years.”_

_The doctor laughed jovially, which made the mood unsettling for Mike, “Well, aren't you a clever girl? You don't plan on prying?”_

“ _It's not my business, nor does your married life have anything to do with me.”_

“ _Haha! I can tell you're already on the road to an ideal life with that mindset and tolerance!” the doctor stopped with his laughter and lifted a file folder off his desk, “I looked into your case before I agreed to take you on, and I must say, out of all my past patients, you're my most interesting one so far.”_

“ _Uh, thanks...?” she leaned away, slightly uncomfortable._

“ _You're wondering_ why _I find you so interesting?”_

_No, she isn't. She just wanted to get out of this counseling session already and tell her father that she did not want to come back to this weirdo._

“ _Because unlike my other patients who often say that they hear and see things that aren't there, and force them to do things whether the patient wants to or not...”_

_He leaned across the desk towards her with a toothy grin._

“ _...the voices in_ your _head show_ **restraint** _ **.** ”_

…

…

…

…

…

…

_You may have stopped the dream, but this evil within me still grows, you know~_

_Ehehehehehee~_

…

…

…

\- - - - - - -

With a snap, Mike's right leg fell to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mike is finally rescued, for better or for worse.
> 
> Fun Fact: Mike's rendition of Tartarus was originally called Hel in the early drafts. I had to change it to Tartarus to prevent the place from being confused with the actual Hel in Book III. And holy hell, the some parts of the Book III intro movie is uncannily similar to what's going on in the nightmares. Hm... I'm not sure how to feel about that. Thankfully, the similarities end there. For the most part.
> 
> Mike is a huge fan of horror games? It would make sense if her perception of things are _different_ than what some would think, or why some of the monsters are there in the first place. Keep in mind that she lives in the modern times.
> 
> I wonder if the numbers that unlock Mike's phone in the beginning have any significance? Probably not.
> 
> Still, why do I feel like we're forgetting something? I don't think it was ever used...


	14. Truth or Oddity?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally longer, but it has become so big that I decided to split it into two chapters to keep the lengths consistent. I will upload the remainder once I finish polishing it.
> 
> Be warned that there are some depictions of body horror on both humans and animals. It's not elaborated in detail, but I feel it's still worth pointing out. Some profanity is in here, too, but at this point, that's to be expected, because, well, it's Mike.

The Order is in chaos upon Mike's rescue.

Seeing her injured and unconscious is one thing. Her right leg falling off? Totally not normal. Oddly, there wasn't any blood flowing out from either her body or her fallen leg. Everyone is back in the castle, the healers tending to Mike's injuries, and hopefully figuring out why her leg is messed up in the fashion it is in.

Then there is the revelation that the Order had been under constant attack by hexes that induced nightmares set by Loki right as the war with Múspell started. Nightmares so bad that it would traumatize and influence the victim's decisions even when awake, and suffer from hallucinations that become images of the nightmares seen in real life. If one was fragile enough, one would try to kill the monsters from the nightmares, only to discover that they harmed someone they knew or treasured instead. To think that Mike had literally protected the Order from such a brutal nightmare all by herself. She endured the nightmares, the trauma, the hallucinations, all in one package, with no complaint. No one knew how she did it, how she took on the hexes meant for others, when it is well known in the Order that Mike cannot use magic outside the Breidablik, but the fact that it still happened is hard to swallow.

Zelgius felt that he failed Mike in more ways than one. She endured so many nightmares, and managed to see though many hallucinations, things that aren't there, and break through many delusions, false beliefs, that he wondered how Mike could even stand still with a straight face before she was kidnapped. If there is one thing that Mike had above everyone in the Order, it's determination, her willpower. Determination so strong that not even Zelgius himself could ever compare to it.

_Which one of us is the one being protected?_

Prince Leo theorized that the nightmare made by the hexes were the cause of Mike's increasing irrational behavior as of late. Now that the hexes are finally dispelled, he thought out loud that Mike should be back to normal. Zelgius isn't too sure, since Mike has been unpredictable from the get go. If anything, he just wanted those unsettling grins to stop. He wondered how Mike was even remotely sane when she took on the nightmares by herself, or what exactly were the nightmares that plagued her in the Order's place, but from the looks of things, he may never know, and that may be for the best.

Now all Zelgius, and many other Heroes who worried for Mike, can do is wait.

Lucius is the healer that Mike usually trusted to tend to her, which left him in charge of getting her treated. Unfortunately, there is no hope in reattaching her leg, since the leg itself isn't even flesh to begin with, and is full of complex inner workings that no one in the Order could wrap their head around. Lucius decided against disposing of it, since it's known in the Order to let Mike determine things herself before deciding something as massive as this. There's even a possibility she knows how to do it herself, since her world is said to be very advanced in technology.

Currently, Zelgius is in the main hall, keeping an eye for any unusual activity. The hexes may have been dispelled, but there could still be any lingering effects. If he were to notice anything strange coming from any of the other Heroes, he would make note and then report it to Prince Leo later. So far, everything seems fine. Sigurd has calmed down after seeing that Seliph is in one piece, Fjorm is still shaken from seeing a shambling corpse resembling her sister but recovering, and Nino is finally accounted for. For Nino, it turns out that she never joined the rescue team to begin with. Zelgius isn't really sure what happened to the fake Nino, but considering that no one was harmed by the fake, and that the hexes that made the fakes are now gone, Zelgius decided not to be too concerned about it.

However, there is a mood of uneasiness in the Order. Some feared that with Mike weakened, Múspell can be coming with an even worse attack, but so far nothing has happened. Maybe Mike's phantoms inflicted worse damage to Múspell forces than they thought? Or was something else amiss?

Footsteps caught his attention, so he looked to his right and saw the younger Ike and Soren stand near him. Zelgius is thankful that he kept his helm on, because he could not stop the narrowing of his eyes in mild annoyance. He and Ike (younger and older) were forbidden from sparring with one another if Mike isn't there to watch, but for once, he really isn't in the mood.

“If you wish for a fight, it will be at a later time.”

“We're not here for that,” Soren replied curtly, “We were told by Lucius to send you to him.”

“Did he now.”

“Mike is awake,” Ike said, gripping the Ragnell's hilt tightly in discomfort, “Lucius wants you because he hopes you might be able to get her to respond.”

Zelgius blinked, “...What do you mean?”

“For some absurd reason, out of everyone here, it had to be _you_ she's most familiar with,” Soren snapped with distaste, “Why should we even let him be near her again?”

“Soren, now's not the time,” Ike scolded before turning back to Zelgius, “It might be better if you see for yourself,” Ike turned and walked, motioning for Zelgius to follow.

The hallway that led to Mike's room isn't a place where many Heroes are allowed to venture, which made it easy for the summoner to hide away there if she needed alone time. Zelgius is one of the few allowed, but he made sure not to abuse the privilege, only entering when Mike herself asked him to.

Ike knocked on Mike's door, announcing that he's back, and waited for the door to open, revealing Lucius.

“Oh, good, you're here,” Lucius nodded at Zelgius, stepping out and closing the door behind him.

“How is she?” Zelgius decided to forgo any pleasantries and go straight to the point.

“Well, good news is, she's awake,” Lucius raised a finger with a grimace, “Bad news is, she's been unresponsive to most stimuli, hardly even acknowledging her surroundings. I was talking to her to see if I could get any clues, and the only time I got any results was when I mentioned you. I thought that if you talked to her, she might be able to--”

“ _WHA--?! WHERE THE--?!”_

_**THUMP!** _

“ _OW, FUC--!”_

The four of them went in Mike's room and found her sprawled out face down from her bed looking annoyed and muttering expletives, showing that she tried to get out of bed without realizing that her leg is missing. Rolling so she is on her back, she looked up and saw Zelgius and the others. Her expression became unreadable at first, then sighed looking even more annoyed.

“Uh, hey. Sorry to bother you, and I know this all awkward and stuff, but could one of you give me a hand? I need help getting out of these blankets.”

She is out of her usual summoner attire, which gave Zelgius and the others an opportunity to see her outside of it. She looked thin, yet has some muscle in her arms and leg. Her hair, which revealed to be a rather dark brown instead of black that many others thought it to be under that hood of hers, came to be at her shoulders in length. She wore a simple short-sleeved black shirt with a blue design showing a blue cartoon character with some text and blue shorts. Her hands were bandaged up to her elbows, but a quick look at her fingers show that she received burns of some sort. Her left leg looked normal enough, but there were some linear scars on her inner left thigh. Her right leg, missing from above the knee, presented itself as a large round stub with several angry scars.

So this is what she looks like under the outfit she normally wears. In the summoner's attire, she looks like some heroic figure. Without it? She just looks like... a person.

A person who should not be in a time of war.

Mike struggled a bit, her annoyance increasing, “Look, I know you have a lot of questions, but will you quit your gawking and help already, please?!”

Zelgius is the first to respond by coming forward and lifted her up by her shoulders before setting her to sit on her bed.”

“Thanks, KB,” she said offhand as she gathered the covers off the floor, then crossed her arms at the four, “Okay, question. How long was I out?”

“You were unconscious for about four hours,” Lucius answered, “You actually regained consciousness about an hour ago, but you hardly responded to anything until I mentioned him,” he gestured to Zelgius.

“Huh,” Mike looked away in thought, tapping her finger against her chin, “Probably because he's the last thing I remember before things went nuts. Wait...” she looked around and looked at the Breidablik on the nightstand next to her bed. She picked it up and placed her hand against the barrel, before pulling it away, staring at her palm.

“Huh? Wait, where is...? No!” Mike looked panicked as she dropped the Breidablik and dug through the blankets, “No, no, no, no where is he?! Where's Zack?! Sigurd and Gunnthrá are also missing!”

Ike, Soren, and Lucius were confused and had no idea what exactly is this “Zack” that Mike is talking about, while Sigurd is in the castle and Gunnthrá is dead, but for her to panic like this is definitely not normal. It took Zelgius a moment to realize what exactly Mike meant, and looked into his pouch. Thankfully, the three orbs, two red and one green, that Alfonse handed to him earlier were still there, so he reached in and took them out to present it to her.

“Would it be these?”

Mike stopped and stared at Zelgius, then reached forward and snatched the orbs from his hold. She looked over them, as if checking them for damage, before sighing in relief. Grabbing the Breidablik, she placed the orbs near it, and made them disappear into the chamber and set it back down.

“Yeah, those were it. Thank goodness they're safe,” Mike smiled in relief.

 _Sweet goddess_...

Her smile is _genuine_. Does this mean that everything will be all right now? That Mike will no longer have the nightmares herself? She will no longer be insane?

“Well, anyway, now that I got those three back to resting in the gun, where's my leg?” Mike looked around and spotted it on a table nearby, “Will one of you hand it to me?”

“What exactly is this anyway?” Ike asked as he picked up the leg and brought it to her.

Mike didn't reply, instead focusing intensely on examining the leg, mumbling to herself. Zelgius caught some of what she is saying, but he had no idea what exactly “solder” or “calibrate” meant. Probably terms in her world that apply to the leg.

“ZIP IT!” the four jumped when Mike suddenly twisted her body to her left and angrily pointed at thin air behind her before turning back to the leg like nothing happened, “Honestly...”

“Who were you talking to just now?” Lucius asked slowly.

“Eh. Some stupid hallucination I've been having ever since I was summoned here. This is what happens when I have no way of renewing my prescriptions. Normally, I wouldn't really give a rat's ass since I _know_ it's not really there, but sometimes, the stupid voices _do not shut up_ unless I actually _tell_ them to. And don't bother asking me to explain that in detail, I am _not_ in the mood right now,” Mike rolled her eyes in annoyance before pointing at the four and then immediately pointing to a strangely-shaped bag near the nightstand, “One of you bring that bag closer to me, it's got the tools I need to fix the damage. Fucking kneecap's busted...”

Lucius winced a little at the language, but did what he was told. He grabbed the loop on the top of the bag and paced it next to Mike's foot, making it easier for her to access it.

“Thanks,” she opened the zipper and dug into the bag, taking out some unusual looking tools, “Look, I'm going to be here for a while repairing this thing, so how about you all leave and come back in an hour or so. I just want to get back on my feet as soon as possible so I can get this over with.”

The four looked amongst each other and, while they were reluctant to leave her alone, decided to comply with Mike's request. She's definitely cranky, and obviously needed some alone time to get her bearings straight. Still, Zelgius did not want to leave her alone, so he settled for remaining near the entrance instead.

“Why are you staying?” Soren scowled, noticing that Zelgius didn't follow them out.

“I will remain here in case she needs assistance.”

“As if she needs--” A book flies, just barely missing Soren.

“For fuck's sake, Soren! We talked about this!” Mike growled angrily, grasping another tome, “I'm well aware of who KB is to you guys, and while I do not condone his actions in your world, there are a whole bunch of other factors I know that you guys don't know yet because you're all unwilling to learn unlike I am. Unlike you, I try to see things on _every angle_. If he wanted to kill me, he would have long done it by now. So quit being an ignorant jerk or I'm sending _all_ of you from the World of Radiance home individually _except_ for KB without anyone accompanying you. Understand?!”

Zelgius tensed. It's not that Mike is unaware of some of his past actions, but the fact that she actually defended him, while at the time not doing so is... Still, the threat of sending a Hero home is a bit much even for him. He remembered at how one time she had to send Saizo back to Hoshido after he was first summoned after he attempted to kill Lady Corrin for some reason unknown to him. The next time Saizo was summoned, he didn't have the same hostility due to him being from another path (or so Mike puts it), so she let him stay. Still, it did lead to some questions.

How much does Mike know about him as the Black Knight? As Zelgius? And did the mercenaries seriously think that he would try to kill Mike? He wouldn't ever dream of harming her!

He was so deep in thought that he didn't completely hear what Ike was saying before the latter dragged Soren away from the room. Lucius then turned to him to hand back the book that Mike threw earlier.

“I've already treated Mike's injuries, and I left her an aloe vera balm for her hands on the table over there with the other supplies. Just tell her to apply it every time she changes the bandages. I will be in the healer's ward down the hall, so please come get me if the need arises.”

“Understood.”

Finally, it was just him and Mike, the latter currently at work repairing the leg. Zelgius took the time to examine Mike's room in detail. Unlike all the other rooms in the castle, this one looked much more simple yet complex at the same time. The walls were painted a baby blue, some brown-colored sleek looking furniture were lined against the walls, one long set of drawers with multiples stuffed animals that he couldn't identify lined up on it. Some bookshelves with multiple books, thin and thick, up against another wall. Now that he thought about it, weren't some of the furniture here identical to what he saw back in the nightmare?

Still, not many people were allowed to come into this room. If Zelgius remembered right, it was because of it having information that shouldn't be accessed or something like that. Still, if he's going to wait for Mike to finish doing her thing, he felt tempted to read a book or two. He looked at the hardcover of the book that Mike threw at Soren earlier to see if that might help him pass the time and rose a brow. He hadn't heard of a book of that name or an author like that before. Still, it meant that it's something new to him. He sat down on a nearby chair, and looked up to see Mike is still focused on her work, not even acknowledging that he's even in the room with her. Or maybe she does but didn't show it, he isn't sure.

Setting the Alondite aside, he started to read.

\- - - - - - -

“ _Hey, welcome back! If it isn't my star patient.”_

“ _I have a name you know.”_

“ _Of course you do, you just don't like it when I use it, 'Mike.'”_

_Mike grunted with annoyance. This doctor really likes to get on her nerves. She doesn't even like the man and yet here she is, having another counseling session with him! She's finally getting some results for once according to her father, but what does he know? If it weren't for the fact that he's been trying so hard to help her and paid a large amount of money for this, she wouldn't have bothered going. What's there to fix? Hardly anything! The nightmares will keep plaguing her, and the other parts of her that constantly argue are going to keep arguing amongst themselves whether she wants them to or not. How will counseling and a set of prescription drugs help her when they've failed before?_

“ _But jokes aside, we'll continue were we left off,” he placed a book on the desk and opened it, revealing some odd imagery, “I want you to look at these images and tell me your opinion about them. Do they make you feel happy? Or sad or scared or thrilled and chilled? There's no right or wrong answer, we're doing this just to... gauge your stats, so to speak.”_

_Mike rose a brow, he's using gaming terms? Letting out an annoyed sigh, she leaned forward and started looking before doing a double take in disgust._

“Why _are you showing me pictures of dead animals that are road killed?”_

“ _Oh, is that not how it works?” He leaned forward and flipped through some pages, some of which Mike noticed containing some more gory photos of large dead birds being shot, before stopping at--_

“ _Aren't these from World War II? The prisoners that were experimented on and such?”_

“ _They sure are!” He grinned jovially._

“What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?!” _Mike stood up from her seat and slammed her hands against the desk before knocking the book away. This guy is a nutcase!_

_To his credit, the doctor didn't seem startled, instead shrugging with a knowing grin, “Well, with that reaction, I now know that you're not someone who takes pleasure in one's pain unlike some of my previous clients.”_

“ _...Wait, what.”_

“ _I've read about the assault you were involved in three months ago. Granted, you only got involved to protect your stepmother, but the police wrote a little nit bit saying that you quote-on-quote 'took pleasure' in the event.”_

_Mike sat back down looked down at her hands, not daring to make eye contact. Her relationship with her stepmother has been a very kind one, one that not many step family members ever have the pleasure of getting. When her parents initially divorced, she wanted them to remain together, but eventually accepted after about a year later that it was better that way, and decided not to stop her father from wanting to find a loved one to fill his heart. When her father met her stepmother, the latter actually attempted to reach out to Mike and her brother, wanting to know them as well, unlike the few previous ladies her father went on at least one date with._

_Her stepmother earned her place in her family, so Mike had no qualms when her father decided to marry her. Mike came to love her stepmother as family, often giving her hugs or helping her out on kitchen duty among other things. Mike loved her enough to want to protect her, and in turn make her father happy._

_Enough to the point where she willingly attacked someone to protect her._

“ _Only because I had no idea how to process on what I was supposed to be doing after that. All I could do was just laugh at the absurdity. What was I supposed to do instead, scream like bloody murder?”_

“ _Well, although you didn't intend to do it, you_ did _kill that man,” the doctor chuckled, “Granted, he was a well known ex-convict, and with the security camera footage and the witness reports, along with your own injuries from the incident, it was already considered justified defense of others, and then later justified self defense when he focused on you instead.”_

“ _You know very well that I'm not proud of that,” Mike scoffed, “I was only trying to stop him from hurting--”_

“ _Yes, yes, I know,” the doctor politely cut her off with a kind smile, “Your reactions, again, have proven to me that you do not take pleasure from the pain of others. So instead, we will focus on treating your own guilt on the matter. You should know this,” he leaned over the desk to emphasize his next set of words, “This is_ not _your fault. You did what you could, and because of your actions, an innocent life has been saved. Perhaps this is not the best outcome, but you prevented a worse one,” he leaned back in his chair, “Do you understand what I'm saying?”_

_Not completely, but having some understanding is better than no understanding. She nodded._

“ _Very good,” he smiled, then took out a folder from a drawer and set it out on the desk, “I won't pursue that matter anymore for the rest of this meeting, so that way you will have time to come to terms on this outcome. Now,” he opened the folder, “I will show you a series of drawings, and I want you to describe how they make you feel. You may use more than one answer for it this time, but I do ask that you don't knock these away, the papers can be a pain to clean up.”_

_She answered honestly. The drawings were abstract, so there really wasn't much to interpret._

“ _Why are you asking me my interpretations on these?” Mike finally decided to ask. It's not that she found it completely annoying, but she didn't see any logic behind it._

“ _Well, I did read that you have signs of... multiple personalities, due to your few claims that you hear voices in your head, although none of them say that it's actually true. I don't doubt that you might have one or two others, but even if you did, like I said in our previous meeting, the voices in your head show restraint based on your diary entries.”_

_Well, that probably explains why her father begged her to visit this doctor, whom specializes on the subject. Her father probably found the diary she used in an attempt to figure out the cause of her minor blackouts she's been having ever since her junior year in high school. Mike isn't sure at whether to feel betrayed or not. Then again, it's not like she tried to hide it, either. She guessed she signed up for that one._

_In the end, her father only wanted to help her. Still, she's definitely going to talk to him about reading her entries without her permission or knowledge first._

“ _After all, it's not uncommon for one to develop Dissociative Identity Disorder, a 'split personality' to cope with the pain, no? Like the time when you lost your leg back in your high school days?”_

_Mike looked down, her hair hiding her face._

_She recalled the blood and the screaming. The feelings of the jaws breaking through the bone. Her body stuck against the rocks. The panicked wails of her father begging for her to hold on as help came. The glee on that one girl before it contorted into horror. The screeching sirens..._

Well then.

 _A smirk forms_.

\- - - - - - -

Mike shook the memory from her head. Dissociative Identity Disorder? Hah! Who _doesn't_ have multiple personalities? People don't need a fancy name to show that! One can be amazed at how one acts when he or she or they are in different settings. Once has to show professionalism when at work or in the general public, while at home, such an act isn't needed. Still, those sessions did help her fine tune the ability to let the voices in her head work together more smoothly, so... maybe it wasn't a total waste of time. Meh. How else would she have been to make such calculated decisions?

As for the way she lost her leg, yeah, it totally hurt like hell back when it happened, but that's all in the past. The people who did it to her had their lives ruined in more way than one as potential payback and she hardly had to lift a finger. It's amazing at what showing video evidence to a whole school concert full of people about their ugly sides can do! Not only did it punish them, but it also prevented them from being able to harm anyone else ever again. No need to let another person after her suffer like she did, after all.

But more importantly!

“All right, finally got it done!”

Mike happily lifted the leg in front of her in celebration. She's happy that her father and older brother took the time to teach her how to maintain it by herself. Thankfully, only one piece of wiring was damaged, but a simple replacement was enough to fix that. And with the spare parts and tools she kept in her backpack, she was able to repair the kneecap section without a problem.

Excited, she started to roll up the right side of her shorts to make room for the sleeve, then heard movement in front of her, causing her look up and saw the ever familiar guardian looking at her. Oh, the Black Knight she calls KB is still here? He probably wanted to make sure she was fine after being kidnapped and whatnot, so she decided not to question it. She then noticed the book he was reading.

“Hey, KB. Enjoying The Hobbit?”

“You've read this?”

“Yep, it's a really popular novel even though it's been around for decades,” Mike grinned with a laugh, “Everyone from my family are huge fans. Are you liking it so far?”

“It's... an experience,” the Black Knight placed the book ribbon into the page he was on before closing it before setting it aside, “How are you faring?”

Mike blinked. Now that she thought about it, her mind has been pretty quiet. She hasn't felt any sudden urges, or moments of her head twitching. Sure, she still has some hallucinations, such as the one where it has some yokai with multiple eyes all over its body snarking at Soren about something she didn't care to listen to, but that's because she's been unable to get another prescription from back home to block those stupid things. So to answer his question...

“Actually, I'm feeling pretty great!” Mike laughed, which is probably a first since she was first brought in Askr, “My mind just feels so _clear_ now compared to how I was months ago! I actually can't remember the last time things have been so... I don't know how to describe it!”

Mike swayed her upper body back and forth with a goofy grin. She couldn't help it! After grabbing her prosthetic leg, she snapped back to her task, “Oh, right! Gotta put my leg on. Hang on a sec, KB...”

\- - - - - - -

She's smiling.

By the goddess, she's _smiling_.

Zelgius isn't sure at whether he should laugh or cry. He had seen Mike suffer for so long, and now she's okay. She's happy and _safe_. She will eventually return to the battlefield to give out the tactics needed to defeat Surtr, so Zelgius swore to himself that so long as he stands in Askr, he will never leave Mike's side again. Not as a knight guarding their charge, but as a friend wanting to protect another.

However... as much as he cared about Mike as a friend, he knew that such a bond could be shattered at any moment. Especially since he is now aware that Mike knew what exactly he did to earn the ire of Ike and his friends.

“Hey, KB, can you give me a hand real quick?”

He looked up and saw Mike with the leg reattached to her body while holding a white stick of some sort. She stood up on her feet for a moment to test the leg to see if it could hold her weight, then made a face before sitting back down.

“What do you need me to do?”

“I just need you to hold this backup wrench while I get the last adjustment made. I can do it myself, but it's easier to do it with another set of hands because the bandages are making it difficult for me to grip things,” she set the wrench against the section near her knee and took out another wrench and something shaped like a hexagonal ring, “Just hold the backup wrench here, while I get this last nut in my knee. Hopefully this will reinforce it. I know this seems somewhat intimate, but at least we have our clothes on,” she joked.

There are her strange jokes. Zelgius missed those. He shook his head and did as she asked, the latter then starting to place the last part she needed to get her leg to work.

“All right, we're done,” Mike took the tools and set them aside, then stood up again to test her leg, then triumphantly placed her hands on her hips, “ _Much_ better. Finally, I can get back on my feet, if you know what I'm saying. Haha!”

“I do,” Zelgius nodded, unable to keep the smile off his face, hidden beneath his helm. Thinking for a moment, the smile faded, because one of these days he knew he had to ask her.

“Why _did_ you approach me back then? When I first came here,” Zelgius asked her the one question that plagued him.

“Huh?” Mike shot Zelgius a look while she was putting the tools away.

“I'm sure Ike and his friends have told you all you need to know.”

“Yeah, they did,” she went back to looking over her task.

“Yet, you never ran away in fear.”

“Kind of hard to considering you've assigned yourself as my personal guard even though I said you didn't have to.”

Point taken. Then why is she not afraid?

“Er, wait, that's not the right reaction?” Mike blinked and dropped one of the wrenches on the bed. She tapped at her head with a finger, “Uh, let's see, what's the right thing to do in this instance...?” she snapped her fingers, “Oh, right.”

Zelgius narrowed his eyes in slight confusion as Mike took a deep breath. Wait, is she going to...?!

“ _Ahhhhhhhh. Oh no! I have never been so frightened in my entire life!”_ Mike started to say her spiel with a normal volume in the most unenthusiastic tone with her hands spread out, to Zelgius's bemusement, _“It's the Black Knight! Quickly, run for your life for the hills and act like your ass is fire since he's so scary and powerful and he'll kill you and_ do I really need to keep doing this? This is getting kind of _stupid_ considering I don't actually feel like that,” she let out a sound of annoyance before returning to her task of placing everything back where it belongs.

What the hell is this woman thinking?! Zelgius is thankful for his helmet, because Mike kept befuddling him nearly every day, if not almost every waking hour with her personality, nightmares or not. Even though he can keep a stoic appearance if needed, even he won't be able to conceal any facial reactions that might slip past the cracks.

“You didn't exactly answer my question,” he replied after thinking it through.

Mike is quiet for a moment, grabbing what looks like a sketchbook and a pen from her backpack before shrugging and sitting down on her bed, “If I had to give you an honest answer, KB, I really don't know.”

“...What?”

“Sure, I'm aware of your deeds, or at least a decent number of them, and that you killed Ike and Mist's father, Greil. Or was it Gawain? Which one was it again? Meh, they're one and the same, who cares. Anyway, back on track. Honestly, I really don't know how to feel about it,” she drew some circles on the sketchbook, “I mean, unlike you or Ike and Mist, I have no association with him whatsoever. I have no feeling of attachment, so I can't feel any grief or accomplishment on that.”

She drew some lines across the circles and wrote some letters. When Zelgius looked, he noticed that she was drawing vague allusions of himself and various connections with other people from his home world and here.

“You told me yourself that you wanted to surpass your master, the one who taught you how to fight. You fought him, and won, but then you told me he had 'already cast aside his true skill.' And because of that, you're not satisfied. I can't say why he did it, but if he fought you in a fight despite being at a disadvantage without telling you, and lost by getting mortally wounded, then that's how it goes. Greil made that decision, so he reaps what he sows. I mean, seriously, even though he cut the tendons on his sword hand according to Ike, which would _already_ place him at a disadvantage, he chose to fight you with an _axe_ , which, last I checked, is at a _disadvantage against swords_. I honestly don't know if I should should consider Greil to be gutsy or a complete idiot. ...Probably a bit of both.”

He rose a brow. How can she sound so... _cold and calculating_ about this? Though with the way Mike explained her viewpoint, it did make him question Greil's decisions back then with a little more scrutiny.

“Was that duel you had with Greil... Gawain... the correct to do it? No. Honestly, it would've been more ideal for you to have avoided his vitals and let him live to die another day and you could've sparred with him all you wanted, but what's done is done. You and I cannot change the past, contrary to what Lucina says, so all we can do now is change the present, and hope for a better future, as cheesy as that sounds,” she paused, and for a moment Zelgius thought she was done talking, “However, if anything, now that I'm talking about it, I think the only reason I'm not upset about you killing him is... unlike many other killers I've heard about, yours wasn't out of petty reasons or hatred.”

Zelgius nearly flinched, but held back, “...Petty?”

“In my world, there are a number of people who have killed others in cold blood for stupid reasons. Over money, over love, over sex, for the thrill and chill of it, just for the hell of it, or some other... _unspeakable_ things I could tell you about but you might not be able to stomach it even for you, like the actions of some of those so-called 'lonely hearts killers.' Don't bother asking me what those are, by the way,” Mike raised a finger when Zelgius was about to ask, “But you... you only did it because you wanted to surpass him, to prove yourself to him. For all I know, your killing of him was something you didn't even _intend to do_. I could be right on all the details, or half right, or even completely wrong.”

A chill went over his spine. As he pondered her words, in hindsight, his final duel with Gawain did feel more and more like-

“Or maybe I'm just saying complete nonsense,” Mike ripped up the page containing a drawing of a relationship chart between the Greil Mercenaries and Zelgius himself, rolled it into a ball, and chucked it forward, the paper ball hitting his helm, snapping out of his thoughts, “But if I have everything in a short sentence, I don't understand why I should fear you even though you're right here. If you really wanted me dead in cold blood like Soren would say, you would've long done it before you officially joined me. You could have easily ended my life when we met back at the Tempest.”

He picked up the wadded paper, “Is logic the only thing that makes you head... tick?”

“Apparently. I was never told I was normal besides those from my family,” she started drawing more doodles on another page, “Hell, my father often told me that's a good thing. He would say things like how people usually respond to thing in a more 'emotional' manner without taking the time to think it through, and that they don't dig deep enough to find the truth hidden beneath.”

Did this mean what Zelgius thinks it means? It's not that Mike is deliberately ignoring the fact that Gawain is dead by his hand, but rather, she cannot actually understand it. Or maybe she does understand, but couldn't fully... what would be the right word for this? He didn't know. It's like she cares that Gawain was killed, but at the same time, she doesn't care. Or maybe she cannot give an honest answer unless she knows the details inside and out. Maybe that's why she's been unable to completely get along with the Greil Mercenaries? It was because of him? Regardless...

Mike is definitely unpredictable in more ways than one.

If anything, she is _terrifying_ in more ways than one.

“I mean, if you killed my father, who went through so much to help me, even to get this for me,” she gestured at her leg, “I'd... probably hate you, too. But you didn't, so I have no reason to be upset.” Mike shrugged nonchalantly with a partial grimace before looking away, “I guess that makes me a hypocrite of sorts? I don't know. I don't even think I _want_ to know for once. That's saying something. I think.”

Neither of them said anything for a while, and Zelgius regretted asking her. What was he thinking when he decided to ask her that right after she was rescued? He was about to apologize and leave until Mike spoke again.

“You probably have a lot of other questions about me besides that, don't you?” she looked up at him without raising her head, her lips curled uncomfortably before sighing, “Well, the only reason I even know about you and your deeds wasn't because of Ike's accounts, but because of the library here, the one you and the other Heroes are forbidden to go in. It has various biographies of everyone here, including future events that have yet to pass.”

That... explains a lot of things.

“I read the entries about you, obviously, and... Hold on,” Mike jumped up and walked to the door leading in the hall, opening it and looking around outside. Grunting in annoyance, Mike closed the door and locked it before going back to her seat on the bed, “Sorry, had to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Saizo has a tendency to do that, I'm afraid. Anyway, where was I?”

“You read entries about me.”

“Right, among them has your real name, and what you actually are, so I know that you're a Branded like Soren is. And before you freak out,” she rose a finger again at Zelgius's tensed response, “I _really_ do not care about you being such. For someone like me, your brand can easily be mistaken for a tattoo, which, in my homeland, I see on a _daily basis_. The only reaction you'll probably get out of me is a 'Oh, hey, nice tattoo,' and leave it at that. Also, I never told anyone here about your personal details, nor do I intend to, so you can relax on that.”

That's a relief, but he still had a question, “A... tattoo?”

“Huh, you guys probably don't have that in Tellius?” Mike looked up with a raised brow in thought, “Well, basically, a tattoo is basically a design that's deliberately inked on one's skin. Most of the ones that I see are usually things like a simple design of a flower, dates that are significant to someone such as the birth of a child or a wedding or even a death day of a loved one, showing devotion to a religion, or even one of those crazy tattoos that have optical illusions on them or some other crazy realistic picture. You remember Soren's brand? When I first met him, I thought he was some sort of priesthood, because where I'm from, it's not unusual for some cultures to have their priests do just that.”

“So people are not born as Branded in your world?”

“Well, Laguz don't exist on Earth, so no, they don't,” Mike raised her hands up with a minor shrug and shook her head, “If anything, the closest to a 'brand' we would get are birthmarks, like the one I have on the bottom of my left foot,” she raised it up to show him, and Zelgius noticed that there is a splotch of red discoloration on her heel, “In my world, these are normal, and even them, some fade over time.”

Although Sephiran had already answered the question for him, Zelgius did think about asking the same to her, but thought better of it. Maybe he'll approach that subject at another time.

“But enough moping!” Mike hopped off the bed again and grabbed her summoner's garb with a grin, “Now that I'm back in action, we can finally resume on taking on Surtr! We've got to get to the Rite of Frost so we can finally take on that son of a bitch. I'll be a minute, so mind waiting outside while I change?”

“Very well.”

Zelgius proceeded to leave. He thought he heard Mike mutter something, but thought nothing of it. Regardless, for the rest of the war against Múspell, and for the rest of his time here in Askr, he will not leave Mike's side. He will protect her with the same loyalty he holds for Sephiran. He will not let her get taken away again, for both her sanity and his. He had more questions to ask her, such as how the nightmares and the phantoms came to be, but he decided that she's been through enough for today, so he will wait on that and let her rest.

Because that's what friends do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Mike does not get along with the Greil Mercenaries. Huh. And she sees a counselor in her world after some unfortunate incident combined with psychological issues. Would you trust that guy as your counselor? I wouldn't be too sure after that, uh... Book of Death? What would you call those, anyway?
> 
> For those who don't know, Mike has a transfemoral, or above the knee, amputation of her right leg. It's actually been hinted for a while. Mike's model did not lose her leg, but it was badly injured due to bullying that will not be elaborated here. Thankfully, the case was settled out of court, but it was still awful. She later made a full recovery unlike Mike.
> 
> Also, I doubt tattoos are a thing in Tellius, if you consider the Branded and Spirit Charmers. Putting a tattoo on yourself in Tellius is just screaming for a boatload of trouble. Fun fact, when Mike's model and I first saw the Branded, we actually mistook them for tattoos, and legitimately thought Soren was part of a priesthood based on his artwork. I still forget that latter detail at times, so you can easily guess that Mike herself is the same way.


	15. Rushing or Efficient?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second part of the last chapter. I wonder how efficient Mike is now...
> 
> Have a safe holiday, everyone.

With Mike back to her normal healthy self, the Order couldn't have received a better boost in morale. Yes, they were worried for her health, and many had questions as to how Mike survived so many nightmare hexes, but time is of essence. The sooner they defeat Surtr, the better.

The trek to the Rite of Frost went relatively smoothly. Sure, there were phantoms guarding it, but with Mike's mind cleared, her tactics made the battles a breeze compared to what they've dealt with for the past few months. It also helped that they weren't in sweltering weather.

Fjorm performed the Rite, and the Breidablik received the power it needed to nullify Surtr's flames at long last, although Mike isn't too thrilled about the implication of it requiring a sacrifice dying a slow death based on Fjorm's coughing. During the trek to reach Múspell after that, the Order encountered Fjorm's younger sister, a young girl named Ylgr, much to the former's joy.

Mike is naturally suspicious, since Ylgr knew her name before anyone even told her what it is. She discreetly told both Alfonse and Zelgius, along with a handful of other Heroes she could trust with having a poker face, such as Arvis, Leo, Reinhardt, and Kaze, into keeping an eye on the youngest Nifl princess.

“ _There is a high possibility that Ylgr is Loki in disguise. It's too convenient,” Mike warned them, “I don't know if she'll try anything like the nightmares again, but keep an eye out. If you feel out of the ordinary at all, go see Leo. I didn't notice because I deal with nightmares on a daily basis due to my messed up head, so hopefully you'll have an easier time noticing any changes.”_

“ _Got it,” Arvis nodded, concern showing, “Where do you think the real Ylgr is?”_

“ _Probably imprisoned in the Múspell castle or something. Also, if there's a Rite of Frost, chances are there should also be a Rite of Flames equivalent. I don't know what exactly it does assuming it exists, but I can only assume that is what's keeping Surtr's Múspellflame going. And if that's like the Rite of Frost, it also requires a sacrifice which, knowing Surtr, will most likely use the real Ylgr for. I could be completely right, or completely wrong, or even half right. We don't know for sure, so keep your eyes and ears open. KB, you're with me, I know none of us here want me to be nicked by the Little L and Elder L princesses again.”_

Zelgius had to admit that things went a lot faster than anticipated. They managed to confront Surtr and actually hurt him for once, only to find that he can revive himself, much to the despair of--

“ _ARE YOU SERIOUS,” Mike facepalmed, sharing the frustration some in the Order had, “I knew this was too easy. We're busting this joint. Regroup. Again. You know the deal. And Fjorm, we're on the right track, so quit your moping so we can see if anything else needs to be done to take out that Fawkes-wannabe!”_

\--well okay, maybe to the despair of Fjorm. It's more on annoyance for Mike's part. Of freaking course he'd have a countermeasure to the Rite of Frost, so Mike had no choice but to resort to Plan B, which is to retreat and hopefully find another method. In short, the Order has to wing it for now. Zelgius told her not to share that plan with the rest yet.

And off the Order goes again. Zelgius mused to himself that the battle against Múspell is going a lot faster ever since Mike has been freed from the nightmare hexes. With nothing to distract them, hardly anything can stop him. He kept his vow into making sure Mike wasn't left unattended during a battle, although it was a little difficult at first when the assassins tried to take her life. Thank the goddess for Kaze and his techniques, he thought.

There was another battle with Múspell forces, and they somehow met up with Hríd, the eldest prince of Nifl.

“ _Dude, really?” Mike deadpanned, “You're the ONLY prince of Nifl!”_

“ _He could've had a younger brother, you know,” Sharena pointed out._

 _“No, Fjorm said there were four of them. Count her for one, Gunnthrá for two, Ylgr--” she narrowed her eyes at the youngest Nifl royal, “--for three. Add him, you get four. He's the only prince. The fool. He doesn't know how to use_ syntax! _”_

“ _Um... moving on...”_

 _Meanwhile, Zelgius had to keep himself from wanting to pinch the face of his helm in exasperation, even though he had to keep fighting off a grin that threatened to creep on his face. Leave it to Mike to have the occasional skewed priorities, it definitely gave the effect of forgetting some of the tension against_ _Múspell_.

Hríd mentioned about how a masked knight named Zacharias gave him not just information but also an old map on where the offerings to keep the Múspellflame going with offerings, which is said to have an unused route unknown even to the Múspell army. Mike made note and told everyone to be on their guard, claiming that knowing their luck, they'll most likely be ambushed in that area. Anna retorted saying that Zacharias wouldn't lead them astray, which Mike agrees.

“ _Oh, I know he wouldn't knowingly, but war's random like that. Just because Zacharias, or rather Bruno, said that the Múspell army doesn't know about it, that's an_ old _Múspell map, meaning_ someone _at Múspell made it at one point. That alone is enough to raise concern, among other things,” Mike narrowed her eyes at Ylgr, or rather, Loki possibly._

_She's definitely looking for an opportunity to give that skimpy witch a lesson, but held off for the slight chance it really is Ylgr. She wouldn't want to make Fjorm sad if she can help it, especially with her condition weakening little by little with that persistent cough. Mike thought about the Rite of Flames, knowing that since Surtr isn't looking worse for wear in the few times she tangoed with him, he's not offering himself for the Rite, but has Veronica has an offering instead. It wouldn't surprise her if Ylgr is another sacrificial candidate._

_She smirked. Not with insanity, but in anger._

_Let's see who you really are._

\- - - - - - -

Sure enough, true to Mike's predictions, both Laegjarn and Laevatein ambushed the Order. Thankfully, because Mike warned everyone, the Order was able to repel the Múspell army and break through. However this confirmed that Ylgr is indeed the “traitor” after she tried to kill Fjorm with poisoned medicine.

Mike isn't having any of it, Zelgius noticed. He saw her take out the dagger from her boot, and walked up behind the fake Ylgr before slashing at her legs.

“You know, Loki,” Mike shook the blood off the dagger as Loki shed off her disguise with annoyance, “I've never got to thank you for all those 'games' you've made me play since this whole thing started. A shame, really. I won't be able to see that thing scar since you normally cover that leg like some cheap street corner hoe.”

“Well, aren't you crass? You figured me out rather quickly,” Loki pouted in disappointment, no doubt to hide the pain at being cut on her leg before showing her trademark smile, “The real Princess Ylgr will be squealing in the flames alongside dear Veronica. I do have one more riddle for you to puzzle out. Exactly how do you plan to defeat me? There's only two of you here while everyone else is tending to their injuries. I'm eager to see what you come up with.”

“Don't have to,” Mike smiled, “Behind you, dear.”

Loki didn't have time to react as Zelgius snuck up from behind and sent her flying a decent distance before the witch landed.

“Well... you think fast,” Loki, managed to get back on her feet as Alfonse and Anna caught up with them, “Very good, my dear. I knew you'd get the right answer sooner or later, even though it's outside the usual norm. And now, for your reward... The king – and poor Veronica – await you in the temple where the Rite of Flame is conducted. The only way to reach them in time is by a secret entrance.”

“Called it,” Zelgius heard Mike hum with annoyance upon hearing that Veronica and Ylgr would be sacrifices, muttering, “Always secret entrances...”

“Well, here you go, Summoner,” Loki giggled as she tossed something in Mike's direction, which Zelgius caught, “This map has the details. I can't say how long Veronica has left to live, but you had better hurry, I think.”

“Why would you give this to us?” Alfonse asked as the took the map from Zelgius, sparing a glance at him before turning back to Loki, “Surtr is your master.”

“That is true, but it's not the whole truth... I have my own role to play. And we must face facts. Princess Veronica is irresistible. I'd hate for her to die just yet...”

“I'm sure,” Alfonse rose a brow.

“I believe that brings my part in this to its conclusion. It is time you challenged Surtr. Will you prevail, or will you die? Whichever it is, I'll enjoy watching from on high. Good luck, my dears!”

With that, Loki disappeared with a warping spell.

“Well, fuck, there she went. Again,” Mike grunted with exasperation before turning to the Black Knight she calls KB, with Alfonse and Anna beside him staring at her, waiting for her next move.

“Time to kill that motherfucker,” Mike growled, her fingers gripping something little harder.

\- - - - - - -

Sometimes, Mike wished she still has that aggression from the nightmare hexes.

She took a moment to process Loki's words regarding her relationship to Surtr. He's her master, yet at the same time, he's not. _In other words, she's either serving someone else or she's just being an unpredictable little witch with a B_. Mike narrowed her eyes. Like her namesake, chaos and discord are her obsession. She still needed to punish her for her role in Gunnthrá's death, but she can wait, unless she decided to get in the way for the quest for Surtr's defeat.

Mike's gaze drifted to the side after surveying the temple where the Rite of Flames took place. Fjorm wants to kill Surtr to avenge not just her sister, but her mother as well. Hríd no doubt wants the same thing, or at least stop him from burning everything. What did Mike want out of this, though? She only wanted to stop Surtr from harming any other kingdom and not have them suffer like Nifl and Askr did. She isn't sure if Embla is included in the mix, but she may as well. Veronica may have been her first enemy, but at least the young princess released the Heroes she forced contracts on instead of killing them.

Mike is well aware about the consequences of revenge. Sure, sometimes it can be satisfying, but only the petty forms will allow that, as her plot at exposing the ones who bullied her, and later made her lose her leg back in high school, can attest to. When it comes to revenge by death, however, all it will do is leave a sense of emptiness or a lack of closure, as the death of that one girl who became the primary cause for the loss of her leg can also attest to.

The courtrooms that administer justice exist for a reason, as useless as they are occasionally due to incompetent people in the legal world at times. Unlike death, a courtroom allowed the ones that harmed her to understand the severity of their actions, their crimes against other people at such a young age. It allows one to be unable to escape the scrutiny once the facts are properly laid out and properly published to the public. With the world of social media, escaping that is virtually impossible. Mike did wonder about their fates after they were declared guilty, but because she did not see or hear from them again after that court case, it gave her the closure she and her family so desperately wanted and needed.

Unfortunately, such things do not here in this world, and even then Mike knew not to spread her ideals here. So she decided to follow this world's rules. It's kill or be killed.

Mike briefly wondered a “what if” scenario. What would have happened had she been summoned by Veronica for Embla, or by Surtr for Múspell, or some other kingdom and help swell their ranks and fight against Askr. She thought about it, before deciding that she probably would've deserted them. She has standards to follow, and she does not intend on straying from them.

“Something on your mind, Mike?” She looked up, and saw the Black Knight beside her, a little dinged up from the earlier fight.

“I'm all right,” Mike nodded before taking his hand and leading him to the healer's area and decided to tell him the partial truth, “Just playing out scenarios in my head. Let's go see Lucius and have him patch you up. I need you and Arvis in tip top to take on Surtr, so I'll have you two, Reinhardt, and Azulala sit out on any skirmishes on our way if we meet Surtr there.”

Azulala is the nickname of the Azura who wore darker clothing while performing at a theater in Cyrkensia with her singing abilities for some performing arts festival with a special axe. Azulala has been an ideal battle partner for the most part in the teams she and the Black Knight took part in. Not only has she been able to keep morale for the team itself up, but she can also hold her own in battle.

Granted, the nickname may not be the most creative, since it's simply derived from “azul,” the Spanish word for “blue,” and “lala,” as in the singing, but she didn't want it to be completely similar to that one cartoon character in her world. Or maybe that character is real in one reality? Mike mentally shuddered, telling herself that it's a good thing she's not in that _other_ region associated with fire, let alone the fact that it doesn't exist here.

When the Black Knight once asked why Mike would give some of the “alternate” Heroes nicknames, she gave a rather simple explanation.

“ _There's_ three _of her here,” Mike deadpanned, “If I just shouted 'Azura!', all three of them would turn my way. If I don't give them nicknames, even_ I _can't tell them apart. I mean, it's better to use Azulala and Aqua instead of PA and NY for the ones that were from the Performing Arts and New Year's festivals respectively, you know?”_

“ _So you're not using letters to refer to them like you are referring to me?” Zelgius asked, and Mike could tell from his tone that he rose a brow._

“ _Well, you never stopped me for one; and two, KB just sounds badass. Like, awesome, you know? Plus, I can't just keep saying 'Hey, you,' and just calling you 'Black Knight' is kind of dehumanizing, remember?”_

The Black Knight didn't bring it up again after that. Sure, Mike knows his real name, but she made sure not to call him that because she knew that he wouldn't want other to know. The best thing to stop bad habits is to not have them in the first place, after all. She knew a decent amount of information for pretty much every Hero in the Order, but kept quiet for all their sakes. All of them have various secrets and reasons for wanting to keep certain things hidden from strangers or loved ones, and that, Mike understood very well, especially since she has her own secrets to hide, such as her own name.

Or maybe she's just being a hypocrite. She knows the Black Knight's name, but he doesn't know hers.

The texts in the forbidden library also made her realize that some of the so-called “antagonists” that are among the order are not always bad people, Arvis being a primary example. Some texts that were copies from the World of Awakening mentioned that the Emperor of Flame was a cruel tyrant in his later years, when in reality he was manipulated. Mike considered telling Arvis about it, or at least vaguely hint it to see if he could change his fate a little, but ultimately decided against it. He had already killed the Sigurd in his time frame, so he will have to reap what he sows, as much as he didn't deserve it. Some fates are set in stone regardless of one's effort. It's called “But Thou Must” for a reason, although him witnessing his son Julius while possessed by Loptous had already damaged his emotional state somewhat.

Still, Arvis did become somewhat of a friend to Mike, especially after he thanked her for rescuing Julius, who is still in a coma at the castle, despite their bloodline. In the end, she made sure to keep the Loptous tome away after discovering she couldn't destroy it without killing the boy, much to her frustration there.

One time, just as the nightmares started, Arvis asked her that since she's capable of “shaping the world” so to speak, he wonder what kind of world she seeks.

 _Mike gave a dark chuckle, “Oh, Arvis, you_ seriously _think I would make a capable leader? I'll tell you now, I would not. I know my limits, I would not be able to make such a change.”_

_Arvis rose a brow, clearly showing that he didn't believe her, “On the contrary. I must hear your answer. What world would you seek?”_

_A grin slowly broke through her lips, her chuckling even lower in tone, “Honestly? If I could?” She leaned up to Arvis's face, unnerving the latter slightly. Good. Helps drive the answer home._

“ _I would_ love _to be in a world where_ I'm _not insane.”_

Arvis didn't bring up the subject after that.

As opened minded as Mike tries to present herself to be, sometimes she wonders if she truly does deserve the friendship from the Black Knight or anyone else. As often as Sharena exclaims that she wants to befriend all the Heroes here, Mike knew that isn't possible. Everyone has different ideals and different truths. Being from different countries, different cultures, different walks of life, different worlds, will always be the one obstacle one can never truly overcome, contrary to what some may say.

“Mike? What brings you here?”

She snapped out of her thoughts once she reached the healer's area, Wrys standing nearby with a vulnerary in hand. She smiled, knowing that for now, things have to be okay for the Order's sake.

“I need you to give KB a quick healing.”

\- - - - - - -

Even though Zelgius was told that he isn't to fight in any skirmishes unless Surtr is among the enemies, he still did his job on guarding Mike. She never made a comment about it, but Zelgius could tell that he understood. If she got kidnapped again at this time, it would be over.

“Who'd put a temple in a volcano, anyway?!” Mike growled in annoyance with her arms raised in a shrug with her hands in front of her, then turned her head to browse the surroundings, which still looked like they're in such a place, “Er, wait. Is this even a volcano?”

“Focus, Mike,” he reminded her, even though he had to agree that the temperatures are rather unbearable.

“Yeah, you're right. Screw it,” Mike continued to follow Anna, who is busy reading the map and examining a wall, “Hey, Anna, Fjorm! Found anything?”

“This secret entrance is very cleverly hidden. If Loki hadn't given us this map, we never would've found it,” Anna took a moment to press a brick on the wall with her hand, a door opening up in response. Fjorm remaining nearby to check for enemies.

“And imprisoned in this temple is Princess Veronica and Princesses Ylgr,” Alfonse, with Sharena beside him, looked down the corridor and walked in, everyone else following. The place looked simple enough, but considering that an ambush can lie at any corner, everyone remained on their guard.

Sharena suddenly shouted, “Ah! It's you!”

“Princess Laegjarn?!” Fjorm stood by Alfonse and Sharena.

Zelgius placed a hand on Mike's shoulder and stood in front of her. He will not let the Múspell princess take her again. He'll let the others handle her and become the final defense line if need be.

“Wait a moment, Princess Fjorm,” Anna gritted her teeth in apprehension, “Something is not right here.”

“Múspell, dragon of flame...” Laegjarn suddenly growled, “I offer you my flesh. Arm and arm, leg and leg. My head, my heart... All of it offered, that you may feed. Devour me! Aah!” the princess then started screaming in pain.

Mike could only give one appropriate reaction after showing a grimace.

“Oh, _fuck_.”

….

“You know, I really wanted to get back at her for kidnapping me, but I did not want her life to end like that.”

The aftermath of the battle against Laegjarn with the Rite of Flames in tow left the princess into a burnt state. All Fjorm could do was promise to Laegjarn that she would save the younger princess Laevatein from Surtr's control.

“Are you all right, Mike?” Zelgius asked her.

“Yeah,” Mike tugged her hood further down her face, “I knew what a burnt corpse would look like. Out of all the deaths, this is one of the worst ways to go. I'd rather have her cut down than burnt to death like that.”

Laegjarn's body is too crumbled to take back, so Mike made do with taking her sword and horned crown. It's best to honor someone who only fought to protect another, even if she was an enemy.

They later successfully did convince Laevatein from following Laegjarn's path by telling her that her sister would want her to live, along with rescuing Ylgr and Veronica from being used as sacrifices. They also met Zacharias, technically Bruno, who later became entrusted with the safety of the two while the Order is to take on Surtr, now that he no longer has access to the Rite of Flames for himself.

Mike had already given the team the game plan, or so she puts it. Arvis is to distract Surtr with his tome, Reinhardt is to take out any immediate troops Surtr has with Azulala's help, while any other units that were not injured were to take on any reinforcements that come their way. Finally, Zelgius's role is to take on Surtr head on. He will have to be careful not to be burned by the Sinmara, but it's a risk he's willing to take for Mike's sake. If worse comes to worse, he can always use his Warp Powder to escape if things get nasty.

A simple game plan, really.

Then how did everything go wrong?

Surtr proved to be more sturdy that anyone imagined, even enduring the Valflame that Arvis was sure would have burned him to a pile of ash. Whether it was through the Rite of Flames or just having a sturdy stance, no one can say. He managed to best Zelgius and everyone else in the fight, and slowly made his way towards Mike. For some reason, Mike would not run away, despite Zelgius's quiet pleas while trying to endure the heat.

“You are an amusing child, I will grant you that,” Surtr smirked, the Simara's flames roaring, “I look forward to hearing you scream. You denied me that days ago.”

“Mike! Run! Get out of here!” Sharena tried to support her brother, despite her injuries.

Mike looked at her fallen Heroes. Fortunately, none of them are dead, but most have merely retreated to a distance at her orders. Arvis managed to get Reinhardt and Azulala to safety, but the Askr trio and Fjorm are still in the danger of Surtr's wrath. She looked back at Zelgius, and he saw that she narrowed her eyes somewhat. Her lips curling into a snarl, not saying a word, her hand gripping the Breidablik's barrel before letting go.

Surtr continued to approach her, and Mike responded by throwing a rock at his head.

“Hmph. You think a mere pebble would stop me?”

Zelgius struggled to stand, trying his best to ignore the burning feeling that his blessed armor had thankfully taken the brunt of. He won't have the permanent burns, but the armor can only so much regarding the heat of the flames. If the mad king took a few more steps, then Mike will-- ...What's causing that red mist behind Surtr?

“Any last words, worm?” Surtr grinned as he began to raise the Sinmara.

“Yeah, actually,” Mike answered rather calmly, “You really shouldn't have dismissed what I threw at you.”

She then narrowed her eyes with absolute fury.

“ _ **You're dead.”**_

The other Black Knight suddenly materialized and slashed at Surtr with extreme force from behind, sending him flying away from Mike, a red mist slowly emanating from between the gaps and cracks of his heavily damaged armor.

 _He's back?_ Zelgius couldn't help but feel unnerved at his impostor's appearance, for he sent Surtr flying so easily... and Mike seems to know the imposter?!

“ _How?”_

“Meet my Jet-Black General. Like him? Moving on, you really are pathetic,” Mike slowly walked up to Surtr, “You have caused a lot of pain and misery for someone who wanted to conquer everything and everyone around you,” she sneered with disgust, “Did you really think that you would be able to rule a world, let alone a country, if you burned everything to the ground?”

The other Black Knight, still emitting the red mist, clearly did not have the same patience as Mike did. He started to slam his silver sword down at Surtr's head, blood beginning to spatter.

“Huh,” she crossed her arms at the impostor with an eyebrow raised, “You're really angry at him, aren't you? Not going to let me pound the lesson into him?”

The other Black Knight stopped for a moment, as if considering it, then his sword glowed into a different form, the sword that Zelgius is all too familiar with, and proceeded to beat down at Surtr again.

“Okay, fair enough,” Mike shrugged before turning to the reserve units, “Hey Lucius, Elise! Can you get down here and help Alfonse and the others, please? Don't worry about Zack, he'll just ignore you.”

...Zack? Why is that name familiar?

Zelgius couldn't remember anything else after that.

\- - - - - - -

Well... they did it. They defeated Surtr, and by extension Múspell, even though their victory was rather... anticlimactic, although Mike is pretty sure the others found it a bit disturbing. She really did not think that Zack would be that angry, enough to the point where he essentially reduced Surtr into a pile of... whatever was left of the madman.

On the journey home, Mike realized that it was probably a good thing she did let Zack take part in the fight. It did let him blow off some steam. Although she's already explained it to Alfonse and the others about it, and she definitely knew that she will have to explain herself to KB, the Black Knight who is still passed out, and is currently in the carriage where Wrys and Lucius are tending to him. Mike even went through the trouble of forbidding anyone else from trying to figure out his identity.

She stayed with the Black Knight for most of the trek, occasionally singing.

_Almost heaven, West Virginia,_   
_Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River,_   
_Life is old there, older than the trees,_   
_Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze,_

_Country roads, take me home_   
_To the place I belong,_   
_West Virginia, mountain mama,_   
_Take me home, country roads..._

...

“ _Holy_ _**fuck**_ ,” Mike went down on her knees once everyone reached the castle of the Order of Heroes, “I do not want to go up against anyone like that fucker that ever again.”

“Make that all of us,” Alfonse sighed as he kneeled down next to her, “If you haven't summoned that other Black Knight, we would've been _finished_ ,” he then turned to her, “I'm actually surprised you were able to summon a Hero without the Breidablik.”

“I can't,” Mike shook her head somewhat, “I have to have already summoned the Hero with it. Any 'duplicates' that come after the original Hero shows up just turn into orbs again. It's only after that I can summon them without the Breidablik. Zack just happened to the one who jumped at the call, even though he was pretty pissed off.

“I know what I did was reckless, and maybe even heartless, but if I hadn't, then Surtr might have killed you all,” she looked up at the ceiling, “I wonder if I should start preparing ourselves to say our goodbyes.”

Alfonse didn't reply, and Mike knew that although he tried not to, he did become good friends with her. Well, unlike what Bruno had no choice to do, Mike doesn't intend to leave without saying goodbye and trying to explain herself. She can save a lot of pain and miscommunication that way.

She was able to avoid a violent death for so long, and once she's back home, she will not have to worry about that. With all she learned and grew accustomed to, she'll have a hard time readjusting to her life back home, but she's fine with that. With her family back home, especially with the love from her father and brother, she felt that can do anything.

When death does come for her, though, she will great it like an old friend.

Leaving her thoughts alone, she and Alfonse remained there talking about the little things about the order until Sharena suddenly came running to them.

“Guys! Guys! You need to get up and get moving!”

“What happened?!” Alfonse stood up while Mike slowly followed, “Are we under attack?!”

“No, silly!” Sharena grabbed Mike's hands, “We're here in time for the Winter Festival! We have to celebrate our victory!”

“Oh...” Mike blinked, “It's that time of year again?”

“Yeah! Which means that we can go and get everyone presents! Come on! The presents aren't going to win themselves!”

“Ah, wait, Sharena!” Alfonse's protests died out when Sharena dragged Mike away.

As Mike followed Sharena, she thought about the equivalent back home, the holiday called Christmas, or to other people, the Winter Solstice.

She and her family didn't really care about the religious side of the holiday, but they did celebrate it as a way to bring themselves together and give each other gifts. They would each make Christmas lists, and everyone in the family would work together to see if any of them could be fulfilled. The only major obstacle for those lists is that everyone in her family usually lean more on the practical side of things. Mere trinkets like vases or snow globes never really appealed to them, and usually preferred to have presents that were items they could use or clothes to wear, and Mike is no exception.

The items Mike added to her Christmas list were mainly a to have a little bluetooth speaker of her own, a comforter for her bed, and a small toolkit to keep in her car. Granted, she could always purchase those herself after saving up her money, but her father would often ask her to leave some items for the list so he could, in his words, “be a Daddy to [his] wonderful children.” Like he's one to talk! He never gives a list of his own, so she and her brother often had to guess!

Shaking the humorous thought out of her head, Mike thought back to the Black Knight still in the healer's care, and decided that she will get some presents from the festival for him in return.

She owes him that much, especially after everything he did for her safety.

“I'll be back soon, KB.”

She walked outside the castle, intending to enjoy the festival to the fullest.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I didn't exactly just breeze through the last section of Book II. Mike just really didn't want to stop for anything. As for the events that lead to Surtr's defeat, Zack was in no mood for his bull, which meant that Fjorm wasn't able to have her speech for Surtr.
> 
> On another note, who else knew immediately that the Ylgr the party initially meets is Loki in disguise? We sure did.
> 
> I wish you all Happy Holidays! Until next year, everyone!
> 
> ...
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> ...
> 
> ...
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> ...
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> ...
> 
> ...
> 
> _Aren't you forgetting something?_
> 
> _I am still here._
> 
> _Hee hee~_


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